UNSC Recce units. Ahsoka watched them launching smaller UAVs, drones as they called them, to scour the skies of Teth for any remaining CIS presence on the planet. A pair of Pelicans landed, delivering Air Defense systems onto the deck of the monastery's landing pad. Autocannon tanks and missile launchers aimed their barrels at the heavens in case a CIS fleet decided to swing by and say hello by deploying its fighters past the blockade.
The UNSC Cruiser and its Frigate Escort hanged out in lower orbit, geosynchronous to them in order to provide cover, all while UNSC fighters ran what they called 'CAP', or Combat Air Patrols with the few Torrent fighters they had to deploy in orbit from the Assault Ships. 501st Troopers also assisted, though reluctantly, in preparing the defenses. Most of their men probably thought they wouldn't be here for that long and Ahsoka honestly really didn't blame'em.
Rex hummed as he approached, making Ahsoka turn toward him, then asked, "You okay, kid?"
"Just watching the UNSC go about their business," Ahsoka replied. She hummed and told him, "Wanted to talk to me, captain?" as she turned to face him. He waved it off for a moment, watching the Marines and Army load the Air Defense systems with missiles, plus the added deployed tanks which were also aiming their guns up at the sky. The other UNSC Craft flying CAP above turned and gave a wing salute to the gang below.
He hummed, then sighed and said, "I did. The General's gonna need a team to go into the monastery. He's selected me, you and the SPARTAN. Blue Team's apparently gonna be stuck outside save for him," which caused Ahsoka to roll her eyes slightly. Obviously, her master would want him around. Probably continuously ensuring the Alliance worked well together and all that...
"Well, fair enough," The girl shrugged, "You probably wouldn't be telling me this if you didn't feel some way about it, Captain. What is it?"
"... Right..." Rex sighed and took his helmet off, before scratching the top of his nearly-clean shaven head. He looked to the new Commander and, though his face was impassive, the young Padawan could still feel a hint of worry emanating from the man. He spoke, "I'm not one to usually comment on the General's decisions that much, since he's never led us astray, but I'm not sure how I feel about the kid. There's something particularly off about him... Like he's just... Not all there. Worse than your usual. I've seen clones come out of the Battle of Geonosis much better than him..."
Ahsoka replied to Rex rather matter-of-factly, "He did mention the whole genocidal war thing while we were aboard the transport," and upon Rex's look of confusion, Ahsoka clarified, "Right. Their current allies, the Sangheili, apparently, fought against them in a war that cost a lot of lives and colonies for their nascent space nation. And he was one of the people who lost families to plasma bombardments from orbit."
"... Oh," Rex winced, "Explains it, I guess... He gonna be able to operate...?"
"I am, sir," Richard's voice came from Rex's left, heavily accentuating that last word as to draw attention, both to him and to the fact that he probably did not appreciate being talked about behind his back. The Clone Captain turned toward the man with Ahsoka, only to see him with his weapons stowed and his helmet still on his head. He stated calmly, "I've operated under UNSC Jurisdiction from the Battle for Earth to now. Only got cryo-frozen at the end of 2553."
"Sorry..." Ahsoka apologized, but the boy lifted a hand up to show her not to proceed. She hummed, then added, "Captain just came to tell me we're all going inside. And Blue Team is kinda sticking outside..." to which the boy nodded. She offered, "You okay with walking in just with us to grab the little Huttlet?"
"We got a job and we'll do it," he replied calmly, "Don't worry, Tails."
Ahsoka rolled her eyes, "Fair enough."
"Kid, tone it down," Rex warned him, "There's no need for the hostility."
"Aye, sir," He replied with half-a-mouth, then shifted his rifle off his back. He said, "I'm sure she's told you the whole story I told her, Captain, so you'll have to pardon me if I'm just gonna keep being m-" and with that pause, both of them tensed. The Spartan turned to the AirDef system and called out, "Approaching due South-West of us. Two heavy fliers! Bastards were trying to be sneaky!"
The crew was surprised, but they went to action stations immediately. Turning on the on-board radar of the air defense truck and extending out the twin missile pods, they began tracking the approaching targets. Ahsoka and Rex were stunned, to say the least, watching as a pair of missiles roared out of the racks and lanced through the air, leaving billowing trails of smoke as they danced through the air. The distant drone of Ion Engines filled the sky and, indeed, South-West, the trio could make out enemy air assets. Presumably fighters launched from another part of the planet.
Two distant explosions flashed and one of the missile system's crew popped out, giving a thumbs up to the Spartan. He gave a nod back, then looked to the two surprised Republic officers and the Republic's other troops and told them, "I have a sixth sense about enemy CAS... Bad experiences during the Battle of Earth. They might've been a Recce Flight, though."
"Recce?" Ahsoka quirked a brow up.
Richard was thankful his face was invisible behind the helmet, cuz he was stunned that such a simplistic term escaped the grasp of a Jedi... "Please, tell me you people know what Reconnaissance is..." He basically pleaded. Both the Jedi and Captain gave him nigh-immediate nods of confirmation and the boy allowed himself a sigh of relief. At least their allies weren't particularly idiotic...
Back aboard Infinity.
Meetra looked over to where B312 had been staring. She noted a team name headlining a small, separate section in the Spartans'. 'Noble Team'. She read the names, four of them present and cut into the stone itself more sloppily than the others. There was a knife placed below their column, its tip dulled by use, alongside a strange emblem. She hummed, looked to Six and asked, "Your team...?" with a hint of solemnity in her voice.
He nodded, taking a moment of silence. She did, too. Disrespectful to ask more when the man was trying to grieve his lost comrades. She bowed her head and closed her eyes, slowing her breathing as to let the chirp of the birds and the low hum of simulated wind rustling the place's leaves. While a small biome like this was rather impressive, the fact that they had a memorial this large was even more so.
And that the Spartan beside her knew where to even find his comrades in order to pay his respects warmed her heart somewhat. If she could go to the places she had buried the many friends she had, she would. For now, though, she settled with quietly listening to the hum of the ship's engines as they transited through Slipstream Space, before looking to Six again.
He sighed deeply, surprising her, then stood up and said in a low, quiet voice, "I'd ask why you joined me here, but... Thanks," before watching her stand up. She smiled at him, then nodded, before showing him to lead the way. The two began their walk past the memorial wall, with him speaking to her with his more straightforward voice now. He asked her, "Why'd you follow me?"
"Is it so strange that a young woman is interested in the first man to lay eyes upon her?" She teased with a smirk. Though the faintest of smiles crossed the man's lips, he remained stoic as one would expect of a soldier of his caliber. She chuckled, then said, "It's about that. Honestly, about the fact you noticed me. I usually blend in with the crowds, no matter where I visit."
"I'm not sure many senators wear tattered robes, ma'am," He replied with half a mouth. She chuckled at that.
"True enough, I suppose," She offered, before stating, "In truth, the Force Power I used should have also made my disguise unnoticeable to some degree. That you saw me tells me you've got some great perception skills," while she followed him to the elevators. The Spartan had to take a moment to process what was tantamount to the first compliment he'd received in a while that wasn't from a direct superior.
He hummed, then nodded, "Thanks," before entering the lift with her. He said, "It wasn't a bad disguise, though it was a tad obvious once I caught that good enough glimpse..." as he shifted uneasily. He hadn't much thought he'd be talking to Jedi. No, rather he figured he'd be deployed to duke it out somewhere, or assassinate someone. Crimson Team was an 'assembly' team, basically a unit that would be formed and deployed as needed. Tom and Lucy were also pretty quiet about their own choices of deployment.
"Heh. You make it sound like it's easy for even a Null like yourselves to spot someone using the Force to camouflage themselves. The sole thing being a Null seems to help with is not being directly mind-tricked..." She spoke, but slowed down and completely stopped once she realized she'd used multiple terms the man probably didn't understand... She sighed, "Right. Look, you and your people are what we call 'Force Nulls'. You basically haven't got access to the Force, nor are you touched by it like us. It means that, while we can use telekinetic and other physics-adjacent powers on you, your minds are not susceptible to Mind Tricks, which is tantamount to... Brainwashing, I think?"
"Huh..." Six tensed.
She raised her hands, "Relax. I wasn't going to try it anyway. Rather not break people's trust, especially not a faction who's let me tag along with them. I can just feel the fact you're all Force Nulls, honestly. Well..." She corrected herself quickly, "Not as much feel as feel 'nothing' from you all. Almost like I know life is there, but there's some missing piece..."
"Got it," Six replied, "Hope you were gonna write that in a report..."
"... Am I part of your military now?" She quipped, grinning.
With a shrug, the Spartan answered, "I was just saying, ma'am. Admiral probably wants some reports, considering even a civilian contractor like yourself might be deploying with us. You have a weapon set, after all," which got a grin out of Meetra. For a moment, the Jedi seemed to entertain the idea of fighting together with them. She was a weird one, alright.
Six didn't know what to pin it on, she just felt like the exact same type of person as parts of his team. It both made him nostalgic and terrified of what someone like her could do, but he didn't just mean that she acted like a mix between all of his friends. She carried a pain like those only a SPARTAN-III could carry post-war. Like she'd lost people very near and dear to her. Obviously, he, too, needed to learn more about their newfound comrade.
"So..." She smirked, "You gonna tell me more about yourself, my friend? Or do I have to pry words out of you?"
Oh, Joy, she was one of the pushy types.
With a huff, the Spartan replied, "I keep to myself..." his voice low. It took a hot minute for the young-looking Jedi to register it, but she let out a sigh that confirmed what Six thought would happen:She was upset she wasn't getting more out of him. Good on her. He wasn't going to start spilling the beans about himself. She knew more than she needed to know.
"You already found out a lot more about me than I'd have been comfortable to share within a decade with anyone else," He told her warily, tilting his head vaguely in the direction they came from. Right, his team, the woman thought as they continued their stroll. He told her with that same awareness one would tell any unknown person, "You tell us more about yourself... We'll see how things go from there."
She snorted, then said, "Only if you write the reports, then, Crimson Four. Do you have a name?"
The Spartan pondered telling it to her. He had said that she had already learned far more than he'd intended to let her learn by letting her stay with him. She'd seen him at a vulnerable moment in his life. With a heavy sigh, the man answered, "You'll get it when we know each-other better..." with a rather obvious jaunt to his tune. He had undertaken classes to better interact with people, since Spartans were now viewed as ONI's little box office success and were treated like stars.
Entering another tram, the Spartan and the girl both stood. She answered, "Seems fair enough, I guess..." with a lighthearted chuckle. The clap of boots against steel echoed against the floor as a pair of soldiers advanced up to B312. A young, beautiful blonde with blue eyes like herself and a fairly handsome dark-haired young man with dark-green eyes. Both bore burn scars and marks of their combat against foes that they faced. But still, both saluted, their steely gazes softer in comparison to the Spartan's.
He saluted back and said, "Sergeants. Good to see you both."
"Good to see you, too, sir," The blonde girl replied with a very interesting accent, "Certainly has been a while since Reach..." and she noticed Meetra. The other blonde, a forehead taller than her, waved, smiling. The girl smiled back and returned the greeting, before looking to the male Sergeant and giggling. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek, causing her to giggle more.
"Aww..." Meetra cooed happily, her voice a hint sharp, but also lower, whispered. A melancholic smile crossed her lips as she remembered her own first, so to speak. The Spartan seemingly noticed it, before looking back to the two Marines ahead. Both of them cleared their throats and, with rosy cheeks, snapped crisp salutes again at Six. He saluted them again and gave them a short wave of the hand to put them at ease.
The man ahead of him spoke, "Sorry, sir... We still owe you a piece of cake." a bit shy all of a sudden.
B312 waved it off, despite Meetra's curiosity, then replied, "Just the fact you two and your platoons are alive is enough, Marine. The UNSC needed everyone in the fight and you've all pulled your weight many times over until evac came and got us off of Reach... You and your little Misfit squadron," and he offered a half-smile with the quip. The Marines both offered nods, smiling back.
"So... You going to introduce me?" Meetra asked, leaning toward Six.
"Oh, sorry, ma'am," Both said at the same time as they saluted her, much to B312's seeming surprise. The girl spoke first, "Staff Sergeant Vesna Toma, Third Company. I am second in command for Shade platoon..." with a soft smile to boot. Meetra nodded kindly in greeting.
"And I'm Victor Toma. Gunnery Sergeant for Phantom Platoon," he smiled, then said with a lot of pride in his voice, "And her husband," while the blonde Jedi simply beamed at that. B312 himself seemed to take a moment to re-register the fact that two of the people he'd helped keep safe were finally together. He allowed himself another smile before Victor said, "I think this is our stop. See you later, sir, ma'am..."
"Before we go, ma'am," The girl turned to Meetra, "What's your name?"
With very little hesitation, Meetra replied kindly, "Meetra Surik. It's been a pleasure meeting you both, Victor, Vesna. Hopefully, we'll be working together soon," then she gave them a salute. The two replied with warm smiles, before both stepped off the tram. It took off again, leaving the Spartan and the Jedi alone once more, with Meetra noting, "Even in wartime, people find the desire to love. Adorable..." as she and B312 sat down.
The Spartan replied, "They were all afraid when we were on Reach..." and his voice was glum, tired, eyes open, but his gaze was distant as he recalled, "The planet was burning around us... We thought we were done..." all while looking at the steel floor. He sighed, then said, "He proposed to her in front of us. In front of their friends and me. Misfit platoon is what we call them. Something in me decided I had to get them out."
"And you did," Meetra smiled.
Six shrugged, "Someone had to keep our morale up. Even if it was the last thing we did, we pushed through. And we linked up with Halsey and RED team just in time..." And he shook his head, before his tablet pinged. Pulling it out, he said, "Speaking of the Scientist... C'mon. Our stop's next. Doc Halsey wants to talk to you before we reach Teth..." and he stood back up.
Meetra followed him and, the moment the two exited, they were met by the sight of the Laboratory deck of the Infinity...