It's crazy to think that less than 3 months ago, BulletStormX and I started this new crossover and we've already past the 1000+ follower threshold. This is undoubtedly the fastest one of my stories on my profile page to reach that level and I gotta thank all of you all for throwing in so much support in such a short amount of time. BSX was right. Novel ideas can gain great traction. He and I thank you so much for showing so much support like that. Means a lot.
On to other things, the polls for Alice is done and wow, yeah…. Didn't see that result to be honest but hey you guys chose. Overwhelming Samantha choice. Thanks for voting everyone. Got a new poll up and it has nothing to do with this story.
Anywho, there's much to cover for this chapter. So let's not dilly dally and get on with it.
In the words of the immortal Queen using a phrase heard throughout the ages.
SHOW MUST GO ON.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.
Spirit Unto Dawn Chapter 10: To the Citadel
Michael Shepard let out an exhausted sigh, grumbling to himself over his most recent report with the Citadel Council.
He had told them everything.
The STG reports, the Krogan army Saren wanted, the Reapers, the indoctrinated Salarians all of it. And they still refused to believe him. It was beyond infuriating.
It's why most soldiers despised politics to begin with.
There was only one thing he did not speak on. And it appears that the STG did not bring them up either.
The Spartans.
Why were they not brought up?
They were directly involved in the mission. They had personally gone out of their way to save his gunnery sergeant. He owed them a great debt.
Rubbing his temples, Michael exited the war room and made his way towards the cargo hold.
Soon as he arrived there, he was greeted with the sight of his crew on one side of the room with them situated next to the Mako.
And on the other side were the six Spartans and the Geth they referred to as Legion.
All in all, a very tense situation if he would say so himself. While the Spartans seemed immovable and unreadable given their postures and how they seemed to overall ignore the group before them, his crew made not so subtle glances in their direction.
The only one that appeared to be curious in the group of unknowns was the lone Geth whose optic kept glancing from crewmate to crewmate while lingering on Tali at times. She, in response, usually glared back in suspicion though her own body movement showed that she was rather nervous. It didn't help when the one called Noble Six had looked in her direction several times whenever the Geth gazed at her.
The rest of them were a mixed bag.
It was what Michael would describe to be trepidation of trust if he could call it that.
They had come in and helped them out a great deal on Virmire. For God's, Goddess and Spirits sake they had already saved two of his teammates in a short amount of time.
His sister, which immediately earned a large amount of respect and now his annoying but endearing Gunnery Sergeant. Michael can't deny the growing level of appreciation and respect he has for these Spartans.
Clearing his throat, he got the attention of all present as he strode forward and stood before his crew.
The Spartans and single Geth all gazed upon him and he'd be lying if he wasn't a bit uncomfortable at having such emotionless gazes directed at him. They… he assumed they may be human or at least humanoid in appearance but god do they act like machines.
The Geth seemed to possess more emotions than them. Which only added to the uncomfortable air that seemed to permeate around the cargo hold.
"So…" Michael spoke up first. "I figure that since you're all still here, there's something you want to talk with us about."
The Spartans did not respond at first, opting to gaze amongst one another for a few seconds.
"Didn't you want to talk to them, Shepard?" Garrus asked.
"I did, but… just let's see what happens." Michael said out of the corner of his mouth.
One of the Spartans stepped forward. This one being Noble Five or 052 as the number showed on his chest plate.
"What do you wish to ask?" The large Spartan asked in his accented voice.
There was a moment of silence when…
"Who are you?" Ashley blurted out.
"What are you?" Jenkins asked a moment later.
"What is your ship?" Tali inquired.
"Are you guys alive or mechs or something?" Wrex asked.
"Guys." Michael rubbed the bridge of his nose while his sister snorted aloud in amusement.
They clamped their mouths shut, realizing that they pretty much disregarded common courtesy.
"I think…" Jane said slowly. "We should start by at least introducing ourselves to one another. That sound good?"
"This isn't a school trip, Jane." Michael deadpanned only to earn a flick on his head from his sister.
"I know that, dummy." Jane remarked. "Common ground. Gotta start somewhere."
Michael gazed upon his sister for a few brief moments before letting out a sigh of resignation.
"Alright, since you insist."
Stepping forward to the large hulking man, Michael stuck out his hand.
"Commander Michael Shepard." He formally introduced himself. "Human Spectre and… grateful old brother for all its worth."
"Jane Shepard." the younger sibling lightly shoved herself against her brother. "More grateful than this numbnuts."
Michael's brow twitched in irritation and he shoved his sister away via hand to the face.
"This is the rest of my crew." Michael said, thumbing behind him to the others.
He went on to introduce them all with the Spartans and Geth only nodding at everyone. Not a single peep, just one unanimous silent response.
Really added more credence to them perhaps being robots.
The Spartans introductions were a bit lackluster as they had referred to themselves in numbers until settling on more easier designations.
Master Chief was easy to remember as was Nobles Six and Five. Red Team simply operated on Red One, Two and Three.
So… five digits with one having a proper title. Super.
"Alright, so… Spartans." Michael said slowly. "Going back to a few previous questions. Who are you? What are you?"
"Human." Noble Six answered plainly.
"You are all human?!" Liara T'soni asked aloud in shock.
"Didn't know you guys got that big." Wrex commented.
"We don't." Kaidan said. "Not… in the way they did."
"You guys are human." Michael said. "Are you army? Navy? It's a bit too obvious really with how you guys act."
"We're a special case." The one known as Red-Two or 130 stated. The only girl it seemed.
"Special seems to be undercutting it." Ashley dryly remarked.
"We've been hearing a lot about you." Jane said. "Well, you in particular for the most part until Tasu."
The Spartan she spoke to directly was none other than Noble Six whose head perked up slightly at the red head gazing at him specifically.
"You're that black death that's been all over the Attican Traverse and Terminus System." Wrex spoke up, making all heads turn to him.
"Black Death?" Noble Six found himself asking aloud.
"Oh come on." Wrex grunted. "With how many Batarians you killed and those other human bases you've taken down with what you're wearing…"
Now that he thought about, he did have a bit of a point.
Six looked up at the sound of Noble Five snorting aloud to himself with the other Spartans all either shaking their heads or smirking beneath their helmets. All sharing the feeling of amusement.
"Excuse me." Tali's voice was soft yet still loud enough for them all to hear with everyone gazing at her.
The Quarian couldn't help but flinch slightly at the attention though she managed to get around it.
"I don't know how to ask this cause we didn't have the proper timing on Virmire." Tali began. "But… Why do you have a Geth with you?"
The tension from before returned though not as palpable. It was just a question that had been dwelling on everyone's mind beneath the surface and one that everyone had shared that wasn't a Spartan.
"Legion here has been working with me since I began my operations against the Batarians and Cerberus." Noble Six answered, placing a hand on the Geth's shoulder pauldron. "He's someone that has been assisting me for many months now and is a valuable partner and ally."
"Legion?" Jane repeated. "You named it?"
"This platform has 1183 units all functioning inside. When Spartan-Six offered the term of Legion from the human book, the Christian bible, we believed this to be an apt term to go by." Legion spoke for himself for the first time, slightly startling the Normandy crew. "Thus, we go by the name of Legion."
"A talking Geth." Garrus muttered.
They had already heard this Geth speak before and all but in the madness that transpired on Virmire, the talking Geth became a bit of an afterthought to them.
Now however…
"How can you work with a Geth?" Tali questioned, voice raising slightly. "Don't you know what they are? What they have done? We've been fighting them for weeks now."
"He's been working with me for a while now." Six replied plainly. "I trust him."
That… certainly was not what the Normandy crew was expecting to hear.
They had been fighting and destroying Geth nonstop since their pursuit of Saren began with them sustaining a number of injuries over the course of this journey. To see one standing before them so placidly and seemingly harmless…
They were unsure whether or not they should be comforted by this aspect.
"Ok, so a friendly Geth." Garrus quipped. "Sure, that's not crazy at all."
"Is-is it true that you saved my friend?" Tali asked. "There was a Quarian that saw you both."
She had heard about this and at first she found it hard to believe. A Geth saving a Quarian? What sort of madness was that? She had heard them confirm this on Virmire.
But she wanted to hear it again.
Under more controlled circumstances with less of a chance that they would need to go headfirst into a firefight.
"We did." Six confirmed once more.
"There's something else." Michael said. "Tali here mentioned that before joining up with us, the Quarian flotilla picked up on a series of signals coming from beyond the Perseus veil. The Veil where the Geth reside."
The Spartans didn't respond with Legion's fins moving about. The Geth gazed at the lone Quarian, turning to the Spartans before back to the Normandy crew.
"We have been meeting with the Spartans for some time." Legion revealed making all heads turn to the Geth Platform.
Within the inner workings of the platform, a digital purple woman appeared in the streaming mass of various programs with a concerned look.
"Legion, are you sure about this?" The Construct known to the Geth as Cortana asked. She had connected him to the private link to the other Spartans so that only they would hear his response.
"We have learned that working with organics, to build trust, calculated risks are necessary. That is how we achieved a working partnership with Spartan-Six and now with the crew of the Spirit of Fire. If we are to learn integration of associating and interacting with organics, at times, honesty works towards the betterment of establishing peaceful relationships."
Cortana didn't respond at first. "Guys?"
"It's his choice, Cortana." was all Six said with the other Spartans merely humming in agreement.
"Alright, you're on the spotlight now Legion." Cortana said.
"Spotli-"
"Figure of speech, Legion." Six, Five and 042 said at the same time.
This entire conversation spanned only several seconds before Legion tilted his head up to meet the gazes of the Normandy crew.
"Several months ago, the Geth consensus found Spartan-Six's ship floating about within the Perseus Veil. It was a ship of unknown origin and design to us, so we opted to bring it into one of our ships rather than aggressive means of destroying it." Legion said. "We had met peacefully and had come to agreeable terms that worked with both parties. Spartan-Six needing assistance on his missions. The Consensus with its goal of integrating and learning to interact with Organics after 300 years."
"Whoa, wait a minute." Garrus spoke up. "You're telling us right now that the Geth wants peace with organics?"
"Yes." Legion answered without hesitation.
"What?" Ashley and Jenkins said in disbelief at the same time.
"Then how in the hell do you explain the Geth that have been firing at our ass's?" Kaidan pointed out. "The one's with Saren?"
"Yeah, how can you say that for yourself when we've faced thousands of them by this point." Jane asked aloud, hands on her hips.
"The Geth you faced was not the Geth of the Consensus." Legion responded. "Before the Geth was one entity, one collective. But then, Nazara, the Old Machine you refer to as Sovereign came to us. The Old Machine knew of our war with the creators three hundred years ago and contacted us as a means of gathering allies. Something it has been doing for many centuries."
"Nazara?" Jane repeated. "Where'd the name Nazara come from?"
"That was what the programs within the Reaper you call Sovereign called itself." Legion clarified. "Sovereign was a title Saren Arterius chose for the Reaper. Saren and the Heretics believe that Nazara is the "Supreme Ruler" of the Reapers. A Sovereign."
"Heretics?" Several of the Normandy crew said in unison.
"Who are the Heretics?" Tali asked cautiously.
"The Geth that separated themselves from the Consensus. The Geth that follow Saren and Nazara. The Geth you have all currently been engaging across the galaxy." Legion stated.
"The Geth have separated themselves?" Tali was now extremely nervous.
"They're not a large force." Noble Six said assuringly. "We plan on taking care of them when the time comes."
"This is all too confusing." Ashley bemoaned for herself and the Normandy crew who all nodded in agreement. "I thought we were chasing a rogue Spectre not Geth splinter cells."
"Alright, let's not get into that then for the time being." Michael stated with a tired sigh. "We've all got enough concerns as is with Saren and the Reapers. Right now, there's more pressing matters to attend to."
On that, the Spartans nodded in agreement. They had hung around here long enough and they had to return to Autumn and report to Captain Cutter.
"There is one thing I just wanna know." Michael said looking to the seven before him with a critical eye. "What is it that you all want?"
That made the Spartans momentarily pause, helmet vizors all directed at the human Spectre. That was certainly not a question they were at all expecting.
What do they want?
Huh... no one has ever really asked them a question like that.
They knew that Jorge wanted a farm after retiring. There is that.
Shepard was a bit put off by their lack of a response.
"You all saved a lot of lives on Tasu." Shepard stated. "And for the past few months, just one of you with… Legion there, was responsible for disrupting the Batarian slave trade and forcing Cerberus to go dark. And now you show up and help us with Saren. Not that we don't appreciate it. It's just we know nothing about any of you. You claim you're all human yet the way you all move and operate says otherwise. You're all unknown variables to the extreme."
Michael's eyes became sharper after every passing sentence.
"So what do you guys want out of all this? What's your endgame here?" He asked, hoping for some kind of answer.
There was a moment of silence between both groups, the humming of the ships various functions being the only ambient noise.
Several of the Normandy members squirmed a bit from the Spartans showing no sign of a response nor any discernible emotion that they could pick up on.
"We're here to do our duty." The Master Chief answered robotically. "The Protection of humanity."
'What?' Was the collective thought shared by the Normandy squad.
"And… their allies." Noble Six finished calmly which didn't really help in alleviating the confusion for the natives of this universe.
"We know there's more you want to discuss but now isn't the time." Red Leader spoke up. "Our superiors are waiting for our return and report on our latest mission. We must be going now."
With that, the Spartans and Geth stood and went in the direction of where their ship was attached to the Normandy.
"Hang on." Jane called out to them. "You still haven't-"
"Lieutenant Commander Shepard." Noble Five cut her off making her jolt back slightly. "I know we haven't answered all the questions you wanted. But all you need to know is that we're allies, not enemies. When the time comes for answers, we'll come to you."
With that, the Spartans left the Normandy crew to stew on those parting words.
"Keelah." Tali said, slumping against the Mako with a hand over her heart.
"You could say that again." Ashley muttered; arms crossed. "Did we really learn anything out of that?"
"Come on Ash, you're not becoming an airhead around us are ya?" Michael joked making the Gunnery Sergeant gape.
"Airhead?!" Williams squawked in an affronted manner adding some much needed relief as the crew now chuckled aloud.
Tali slouched forward then. "I couldn't get a read on them?"
This made the team look to the Quarian in slight confusion.
"What do you mean?" Kaidan asked.
"What, like their personality or something?" Jane surmised.
"Something like that." Tali said.
"Think it was a tricky task for all of us, Tali." Garrus said plainly earning nods from the others.
Tali shook her head at that. "It's not that simple everyone. See, since Quarians wear suits that basically cover our entire body and face," She gestured to her body. "the way we were taught in gauging someone's personality or mood was via body language. It's something that we all specialize in and were taught to become accustomed to since losing our home planet. Like with how Jenkins tries to stand as much as possible since being shot in his butt from Feros."
Immediately the Private began stuttering with his face turning red with embarrassment.
"You saw that?!"
Seeing his response, Tali began giggling like a sister would when catching her brother in a humiliating situation.
"No, I just recognize it since it isn't the first time I've seen it happen." Tali explained.
The rest of the crew laughed aloud as the private hung his head soon being ensnared by Ashley who rubbed her knuckle into his forehead.
"Ah, is Private Jinkies embawwassed?" Ashley taunted.
"GAH You know I hate that name." Jenkins retorted, wrenching himself free from his friend.
The laughter settled down with Tali continuing where she left off.
"When you were talking to the Spartans Shepard, I watched them to discern anything about them that they weren't telling us." Tali wrung her hands together. "And… I got nothing. They were just blanks with how they moved. If they moved at all at times. Sure they slouched or leaned forward but that was when they were talking to each other. With us, it was like voids talking."
"Voids?" Kaidan muttered, slightly disturbed by the description.
Liara hummed aloud, gaining everyone's attention. "I believe I along with Tali were not the only ones that noticed how they froze up when Michael asked them what they wanted."
"Hey, yeah." Jenkins said, gesturing over to where the Spartans occupied a few moments ago. "They did do that."
"Ok, so one thing we all saw." Jane said, looking between her teammates. "What did that mean?"
"I think…" Tali mused for a moment, trying to figure out the proper words. "If I were to guess, that question is not one they were expecting. Maybe even one they never heard."
"Never heard?" Garrus tilted his head. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It possibly means there's more to them then we know." Liara said.
"Kinda figured that already, Liara." Michael said jokingly, making Liara's cheeks turn a slightly darker hue. The Commander patted her shoulder comfortingly with the Asari giving him a smile in return.
"Wrex." Jane said, gazing at the Krogan who was casually leaning against the Mako. "You've been uncharacteristically silent for a while now. What's on your mind, big guy?"
Wrex huffed in amusement. "Calling me big guy after seeing the size of those guys? Right."
He pushed himself off the Mako and went over to the spot where the Spartans resided during their conversation with them.
"I've been alive for 700 years." Wrex said aloud, eyes at the crate Spartan-130 occupied. "Seen all sorts of crazy shit and killed just as many. Earning the title of Battlemaster was no easy feat let me tell ya." The Krogan looked back to the others with a glint in his eyes and a frown that actually conveyed he was disconcerted. "These Spartans. None of us know who or what they really are. But I can tell ya this much. The blood they have on them… that's the most potent stench of blood I've ever felt. They're all covered in it from head to toe."
The gruff and dark tone the Battlemaster spoke in deeply unsettled them all.
"I know Krogan are supposed to be the toughest species in the galaxy." Wrex said. "But even I'm not sure if a whole army of us could stop those six. They got the smell of death on 'em."
…
…
…
"Well… that's certainly… comforting." Jane said in dry sarcasm.
Wrex only shrugged. "You wanted my opinion."
"Yeah, thanks Jane." Michael, Jenkins, Kaidan and Garrus all said with flat looks directed at the younger Shepard sibling.
Jane gaped. "Wha-what? Don't look at me like that. Girls back me up here."
What she got was a casual, dismissive 'uh-huh' from Williams who was checking her nails. Tali was inspecting her suit and Liara appeared to find the Mako very interesting at this very moment.
Jane nostrils flared. "You guys all su-"
"Commander" The pilot of the Normandy cut in. "I forwarded the mission update to the Citadel. We've got confirmation on those reinforcements. Ambassador Udina wants us to report back to the Citadel. The Council is massing a joint-species fleet to deal with Saren and his Geth." Joker informed over comms.
Immediately, the mood shifted with Michael grinning widely. The sentiment was shared with the rest of the team.
"I knew they'd come around." Michael said in triumph. "Back to the Citadel, Joker. I want the Normandy at the head of that fleet!"
"Yes, sir!"
Autumn, UNSC Firebase
Captain Cutter stood within the medical bay of the Spirit Of Fire, watching as Professor Anders made adjustments and notes on her datapad standing before the Cryopod that housed John Forge.
"Professor Anders, are you absolutely certain about this? You found a way to wake up Forge?" Cutter inquired.
"Have you ever heard of the saying fight fire with fire?" Anders asked in return. "Well there's some truth to do that Captain."
Cutter only shook his head in exasperated amusement. "Anders, you're not making sense to me. I'm not as smart as you in case you forgot. You said you have a way to wake up Forge so I would very much like to know what it is that you plan on doing."
Realizing she sort of rambled off again without clarity, Anders had the decency to look sheepish.
"Sorry Captain." She held out her datapad for Cutter to see. "As you can see, the scans show Forge is surrounded by Cherenkov radiation which is emitted by UNSC and Covenant reactors and fissile materials upon entering and exiting slip space."
"So the slip-space radiation basically." Cutter surmised.
Anders nodded. "Correct. After identifying the type of radiation that Forge is affected by, I had to catch up on twenty two years of scientific and medical advancement that were made since going under. A lot more research came out with our understanding of Slip space growing and theories on how to treat those who were exposed to radiation.
And after several years of study and research, we at long last have our solution." Anders held out her datapad and brought up an image of a contraption of some kind. "This is the Sterile Field Generator."
"Sterile Field Generator?" Cutter repeated. "Sounds like one of those older machines used to sterilize bacteria.
"In a manner of speaking." Anders said. "The sterile field generator uses a form of radiation that is not too detrimental to humans in order to irradiate the nearby area and eliminate the microorganisms and bacteria that could cause infection or in this case, Forge's coma."
The gears within Cutter began to click into place with his mouth slightly opening. "Professor... are you saying-?"
"By using this harmless radiation against the Cherenkov radiation, both would cancel each other out thus purging the radiation out of Forge body." Anders stated confidently.
Cutter frowned, rubbing his chin in thought.
"I don't know about this Anders." Cutter admitted. "Are you sure this is even safe?"
"Absolutely Captain." Anders said with absolute certainty. "I had Dot play millions of simulations and all came out with a rate of 100% success."
The Captain gazed down at the Cryo-encased sergeant that had sacrificed himself for the Fire. When discovering that he was still alive, there was a swell of relief and gratitude within Captain Cutter.
There was a part of him that hoped that Forge had found peace if there was something waiting for them on the other side.
On the other hand, he was here before him, right here right now with Anders presenting the chance of awakening him.
He'd rather not see one of the bravest soldiers he had ever known be relegated to a pod and just sleep away his life. Forge would have hated that.
"What do you need Anders?"
Her expression brightened immediately. "If I'm gonna pull this off, I'm going to need these specific radiation components from the Sterile Field Generation to create a brand new emitter to purge Forge of the radiation."
Holo images of the Sterile Field Generator split apart to highlight the parts she needs to create the emitter.
"When we stripped the Dawn for parts, the onboard Med bay included the generator that we needed. Now I'm going to be borrowing our two Engineers to quickly assemble the emitter." Anders finished with Cutter nodding.
"I'm trusting you on this one Professor, let me know if you need anything else and report back to me if you make any breakthroughs." Cutter departed, leaving the professor to her work.
-Scene Cut-
Within the bridge of the Spirit of Fire, its Captain stood alone as he went over various reports from the crew though the latest one held his attention for the most part.
The Spartans had returned from their reports from Virmire with a plethora of information from Saren's plans with the Krogan Genophage to this ancient AI being known as Sovereign.
It was a lot for Cutter to take in for the most part.
The Spartans had met the Normandy crew face to face and spoke more with them afterwards to verify their intentions and that they were not a threat to them.
The recordings he heard of Saren and Sovereign were very disturbing to say the least and this planned cycle of theirs.
A Cycle. What does that mean?
Regardless, as of right now he doesn't have an answer to this question but he figures it would come in due time.
Legion was with Red, informing the Consensus of this development. To hear that the Geth Heretics are just pawns for Sovereign will ruin what the Geth have been trying to achieve, peace with organics. Now is the time to reassert their approach lest the Heretics and Sovereign destroy their efforts entirely.
The Consensus is now more alert for the look out of the Heretics.
The Spartans also mentioned Saren's use of Biotics and how the Master Chief in particular was caught in what was called a Biotic Stasis field, rendering him completely immobile.
For Cutter to hear Spartans being vulnerable to Biotics made them realize how dangerous this new aspect of this universe is to them. Six detailed reports on Biotics are on point and made sure to send the footage of Chief's encounter with Saren to Anders to come up with countermeasures against these Biotics. Hopefully with one genius and two AI's, the countermeasures would come sooner than later.
With all these moving pieces, Saren, The Geth, this unknown Conduit, and the Reaper Sovereign, all of them coming together can only mean one thing.
War.
The Cycle they mentioned, is the War they want and intend on having with not the Citadel or a selection of species. No, from how they were conveying it, this was a war for the galaxy. Maybe he's thinking too much into this but it's not unlikely of a possibility of this actually happening. For now he just has to wait and see what's next but him and his crew are ready for anything.
"Dot, has Anders made any headways yet?" Cutter asked aloud with the two AI's avatars appearing on the holodeck before him.
"Professor Anders is still in the middle of a preliminary test to make sure of the Radiation Emitter purging is fully operational."
"Continue updating me of any more developments" Cutter said with Dot blinking to acknowledge his order. "Cortana, what's the update on finding a way home?"
Her avatar crossed her arms, expression conveying clear frustration.
"Same as before Captain." Cortana let out an annoyed sigh at her lack of progress. "It's all in theories and calculations. For any possible methods that I did come up with, there is only a 4 percent of replicating how we got to this universe. And that four percent is generous at most. Who knows how, why and possibly even where we need to be to get back home. Sorry Captain. It's all just speculation for the most part."
The Captain of The Spirit of Fire only sighed with a feeling of defeat, leaning on the holodeck with his eyes on the grid-like display on the tabletop.
He felt useless for the most part with the AI and personnel telling him he was keeping them all together in these trying times. But for how long?
"Captain?"
"Mm?"
"Our Geth friend and representative wants to see you." Cortana informed Cutter, making him push off the holodeck.
"Is Red coming right now?"
"He'll be here in a few seconds."
Straightening out, Cutter waited patiently until the entrance to the Bridge opened and in walked the all red Geth aptly named after the color of its platform.
"Red." Cutter nodded at the collection of programs. "You wanted to see me?"
"We did." Red stated. "We have discovered something startling. Captain Cutter, the Consensus have tracked a Heretic Fleet amassing and heading towards Citadel Relay."
Cutter's eyes sharpened. "Are you certain?"
"Yes Captain." Red nodded its domed head. "With them is the Reaper known as Sovereign."
He didn't need any more convincing than that.
"Cortana, call the Spartans to the briefing room."
"Done, Captain"
-Scene Cut-
Onboard the NOBLE, the Spartans were gearing up for what looked to be quite a difficult mission. .
The Citadel.
They just have been informed as soon as they entered the briefing room that the Heretics have been spotted with Sovereign amassing a large fleet heading towards the Citadel.
Orders. Reach the Citadel and warn them of an impending attack. But even with the NOBLE at full speed, they won't be able to reach the Citadel in time.
All they can do when they arrive is get the civilians to safety and fight off any heretics or other enemy forces they may encounter on the large station.
"Everyone set?" Chief asked.
"Green." Douglas and Alice said at the same time.
Jerome tapped a magazine on the side of his helmet before loading his assault rifle.
"All good here, Chief." Jorge replied, placing on his helmet.
Six gave his shoulder a fist thump to convey his readiness.
Legion nodded his head forward. "We are all set for combat."
"Cortana?"
"All systems green and ready to go."
Chief only nodded silently. The team had their armor and weapons ready as their trip to the Citadel drew to a close.
"Exiting Slip space in five minutes."
The Prowler came out of the tear in space that allowed the ship to come out to see the sight of multiple ships fighting around what the Spartans could only assume to be the Citadel.
They recognized Geth ships that were engaging other ships that ranged in appearances.
The five Citadel arms as seen have been closed from the looks of it.
The remaining Citadel Defense Fleet is barely holding on against the relentless Heretic Fleet bombarding them without a moment of respite.
"What's the situation, Cortana?" Jerome asked.
"Doesn't look too good, guys." Cortana said grimly. "Citadel fleet is being hammered by the Geth Heretics and they're not letting up."
They were closing in on the Citadel, stealth functions engaged.
The Prowler was making sure to skim around the battle, otherwise they may get clipped by a random fire.
Jorge looked around, gauging at the battle.
"They're all getting destroyed." He muttered. "What can we do with a Prowler?"
"Not much." Six stated. "Really wish-"
"Hold up I'm picking up activity from the relay." Cortana interrupted, patching into radio chatter.
From the gaseous cloud that surrounded the Citadel Station, a slew of new ships arrived from FTL and engaged the Geth fleet.
"Alliance ships move in! Save the Destiny Ascension!" Admiral Hackett's voice chimed in through the comms.
Alliance ships fired upon Geth the fleet approaching the Destiny Ascension only to be destroyed by the combined power of the Alliance Fleet.
"Destiny Ascension, you are all clear. Repeat you are all clear." Joker said aloud.
A moment later, the five arms of the Citadel began separating.
"The Citadel's opening! All ships move in! Concentrate on Sovereign!" Admiral Hackett commanded.
The Citadel Arms moved further apart and the Spartans got their first good look at Sovereign. It was large, possibly being around 2000 meters in length.
It honestly looked squid-like, almost love-craftian if one could describe it.
"Huh." Douglas said aloud. "Honestly, I was expecting more."
"Agreed." Cortana said, her expression changing into one of concentration. "I'm picking up on Michael Shepards IFF Tag on the Citadel. From what I could make out of the Citadel scans, specifically in the Council Podium."
"Whatever he's doing must be at the center of it." Six noted.
"We'll let Shepard handle it." Jorge said. "We need to focus on the civilians that still haven't evacuated."
"What's the plan, Cortana?" Alice asked.
"Get me hooked into the Citadel and I can direct the civilians to safety." Cortana stated. "I'll disguise myself as a VI to help any civilians that are confused and don't know where to go and be out of the crossfire. Once I'm in, I can direct you all to areas where the fighting is heavy."
"What about the C-Sec Defense Force? Should we lend them a hand?" Douglas inquired.
"Us drawing in all the attention will take care of that." Cortana said in wry amusement.
"Alert, multiple Heretic hostiles detected on the Citadel." Legion said aloud.
"We'll handle them, Legion." Six said, nodding at the Geth.
"Bring us in, Six." Chief instructed, the Spartan-III piloting the ship towards the Citadel while maneuvering through the battle and wreckages floating about.
The Prowler hovered over a particular area wherein the most damage was being done by the Geth, Krogan and some sort of humanoids that looked partially organic but primarily synthetic in appearance. The seven stood at the back of the ship, the Spartans sporting plasma weapons primarily save for Jorge who stuck with his chaingun.
The back of the ramp opened up with Chief standing at the front with the team on either side or behind him. Cortana left behind a portion of herself to leave the ship on standby.
Chief looked back to the team and merely nodded his head slightly.
Jumping forward, the rest of the squad followed after him with legion sporting a jetpack in order to land without shattering as they were still a considerable distance above ground.
Falling towards the Citadel ward below, the Spartan's enhanced eyes and Legion's own optical capabilities spotted a firefight down below.
Angling themselves towards the skirmish, the Spartans and lone Geth readied their weapons as they drew closer to the ground.
Soon as they were a few feet above built in thrusters, or in Legions case his jetpack, slowed their descent allowing them to land smoothly on the ground.
Immediately, they had spotted Geth, Krogan and those strange synthetic humanoids. The squad of seven raised their weapons and unleashed a fury of lead and plasma upon their targets with the rounds either melting right through them or shredding them to pieces.
It didn't take long for them to utterly annihilate their foes as they were both surprised and completely unprepared for the level of firepower thrown at them. Once the enemy forces were clear, the Spartans and Legion lowered their weapons yet remained at the ready.
"We need to secure the perimeter." Jerome said through their private comms.
Chief simply nodded, Red Team going off to take out any nearby enemies with Noble Five going with them.
The Spartan-II, III and Legion turn to face the group of C-sec officers who had been combatting the forces of Saren and Sovereign.
To say that this was a surprise would be a bit of an understatement. Their saviors quite literally fell out of the sky. You don't see that every day.
"Is everyone here alright?" Six asked aloud, stepping forward.
Nobody answered at first, only staring in shock and bewilderment until one human noticed the Geth standing beside the Spartan.
The C-sec officer threw up his rifle and fired at the Geth only for the black armored Spartan to stand in front of the line of fire, his shields absorbing all the bullets.
After several seconds of futile fire, the C-sec officer stopped upon realizing nothing was affecting the Spartan.
"You idiot." His partner, a Turian, slapped him upside the head. "These guys just saved our ass's and the first thing you do is try shooting one of them?"
"Sorry, sorry." The Human whined, rubbing his head. "It's just, they have a Geth with them. And they look way scarier then what we were fighting a few seconds ago."
"They still saved us, Rork." The Turian C-sec said, stepping out of his cover and going up to Chief and Six. "Sorry about my partner back there. All a little on edge since the Citadel is under attack."
"Understandable." Chief said stiffly.
"Thanks for the save." The Turian said appreciatively. "We would have been goners had it not been for you and… where'd those other four go off to?"
"Perimeter sweep." Six answered. "Making sure there are no more hostiles left."
The Turian nodded in approval and appreciation.
"Good to hear." The Turian momentarily squinted at them. "Say, aren't you those-"
"Chief."
Red Team and Five returned.
"092."
"Perimeter has been secured." Red Leader announced. "There's several enemy squadrons up ahead with civilians and C-sec personnel pinned down."
"We'll split up." Chief said. "130, Five, we'll go together."
"The rest will go with me." Jerome said, John nodding at him. "Let's move."
The team split off, leaving a bewildered Turian. He wanted to object to them leaving but he heard a groan from behind. Turning back, he saw several of his officers assisting another who was injured.
Right now, he needed to get his squadron out of here while establishing a better chain of command and get the situation under control.
The Spartans+Legion all the while split off into their two groups and ran into several squads of Geth and those synthetic humanoids, clearing them out.
"Chief." Cortana chimed in, a simple tilt of his head signifying he was listening. "We may be doing our part here, but there's other parts on the Citadel where civilians are still under attack without C-sec to help them out."
Jorge, who heard this due to their comm link connection, spoke up. "What should we do then? We can't split up so easily."
"Chief." Alice pointed to a nearby terminal.
"Ah dang it, Alice, ya beat me to the punch." Cortana whined jokingly. "Hook me up Chief. I can help the civilians and direct you guys where to go."
"Wouldn't it be easier if we just follow the explosions and gunfire?" Jorge asked aloud, earning a noncommittal shrug from Alice.
Chief walked over to the terminal and held out his hand, the glowing violet data displaying the transfer.
"Alright, up and running." Cortana said cheerfully. "And right on cue. A Geth ship crashed up ahead and they are pouring out."
Chief, Alice and Jorge merely followed the directions given to them by their AI companion.
Cortana all the while submerged herself into the DataStream of the Citadel itself. In many ways, it was a lot like Halo to a degree.
Just a lot smaller.
As she began her multitasked mission, something caught her attention as she ran past the "CenterPoint" of this installation.
"Hmmm?"
She backtracked towards this CenterPoint.
"What's this?"
There was a litany of unspecified and unrecognizable data that completely stood out from everything else from this universe. No… wait, there was a familiarity to this...
"What are you supposed to be?" Cortana asked herself as she monitored everything on the Citadel when she noticed a hidden advance encryption wall past the "CenterPoint" as she decided to call it now.
She approaches the wall, looking over at the alien software and data. There was a pulse of some kind, almost like it was attempting to repel her presence here. Had she been in her original make up, she might have felt that blowback.
But she had gotten a few serious upgrades recently. Upgrades from a contender class AI that at one point commanded fleets on its own.
Narrowing her eyes, Cortana held up her hand and placed it against the data wall. A moment later, she sent a repulse which easily breaks through the encryption.
Grinning to herself, Cortana stepped through the broken down wall and began taking in this new data she has access to. She notes that it's a lot older and more advanced than any other encryption currently in the galaxy but not as advanced as UNSC, Covenant, or Forerunner.
"Let's see what this station is hiding." Cortana said as she began sifting through the data.
It was a collection of accumulated data that dates back farther than Cortana could fathom, finding this discovery somewhat startling.
There was something off putting about all this.
This data was old. Really old. Yet… while it had some advancements, that she can't dispute, it's strangely… what's the word she's looking for? Stagnant?
Shaking her head, she knew right now wasn't the time to get distracted. Her job was to help the innocent lives threatened on the Citadel while directing the Spartans and Legion to their destination.
However…
One the files, a VI in which Cortana could only describe, have the appearance of an anthropoidal alien having two pairs of eyes with each eye possessing dual pupils, and three pairs of nostrils. The rest of the body was humanoid in appearance and best she could correlate it was a purely human body though with obvious hands and feet similar to that of Turians and Quarians.
Soon as she reached out this VI that came before her, Cortana heard it speak in an almost desperate plea.
"Whomever or whatever organic being that was able to find this message, you are one of many that was anticipated."
"Perhaps there is still hope to stop the Reapers if Vigil failed on Ilos."
"I won't have much time but I'll leave you the files on everything the Prothean know about the Reapers. Their strengths, numbers, history, and weakness."
"I hope you don't repeat my creators mistakes."
Cortana's body stumbled back within the infinite data stream, hand up to her head.
"What the hell was that?" Cortana asked herself. She was about to reach back out to it when…
"Cortana, do you read me? Is everything okay?"
She blinked, startled by the voice of Chief through all this data.
"Er, sorry John. Got distracted by something in here." Cortana admitted apologetically.
Outside the DataStream, the Spartans momentarily paused from each of their respective positions.
Something distracting Cortana? A UNSC AI? Now of all times?
Even though Red Team hasn't been around Cortana long enough knows how fast and efficiently she could get things done, but to hear something bothering Cortana. That's new.
Whatever this "distraction" was would need to be addressed later. It must have been important that Cortana wasn't responding for a few seconds.
"Guys." Cortana said, tone serious. "I got something on the situation outside."
She patched them through the Alliance comm channels where they could hear the frantic naval engagement going on.
"Sovereign's too strong! We have to pull back! A Human Commander said
"Negative! This is our only chance! Take that monster down, no what the cost!" Admiral Hackett stated with fierce determination.
"How far off are we from Sovereign?" Jerome asked.
"Not far from where he's positioned. Why?" Cortana questioned.
"Legion." Six looked to his Geth partner. "Ships gonna swoop in and you fly back up to it."
Legion was confused by this command. "For what purpose, Spartan-Six?"
"We're gonna make a break for Sovereign." Six plainly stated. "You just wouldn't be able to keep up with us."
The fins on Geth's head moved about. "We do not wish to abandon the team in a dire circumstance."
"Legion." Six said sternly. "Just trust us on this."
Though the many programs all objected on leaving their partner, they had all decided on following through with B312's request. With a simple nod, Six reached out and patted the Geth on his shoulder.
"Let's move Spartans." Jerome said aloud.
All six Spartans faced the large form of Sovereign that was over the Council Podium. They bent their legs, bodies inclining forward like a coil until they burst forward in a blast of speed. Boot imprints were left upon where they had all stood and six blur were seen headed straight towards the center of the Citadel.
Out with the Naval engagement.
"It's shields are down! Now's our chance!" Joker said, piloting the Normandy around Sovereign.
"Hit it with everything we've got!" Admiral Hackett ordered.
"Hard on my flank! We're going in!" Joker grunted out.
The Spartans see Sovereign destroy from the combined power of the Alliance Fleet but see a piece of the Reaper debris heading straight for the Citadel podium.
"Shepard is still in there!"
The Spartans arrived at the Podium in time for the debris to shower the structure, damaging greatly yet the building remained standing.
Entering the building straight away, they went for the main atrium, taking out several Geth stragglers and synthetic humanoids along the way.
There was rubble, debris and machine parts all over the place.
"I'm picking up life signs under some of the wreckage." Cortana informed the Spartans.
Within their HUDs, they received several outlines within the wrecked atrium. They split into pairs walking over to three locations and hefted debris out of the way.
Jorge and Douglas paired off, finding one Liara T'soni with Kaidan Alenko the latter of which was nursing a bleeding temple.
The Asari of the two looked up to find the large piece of rubble that had the two trapped get moved aside revealing their two saviors.
"Spartans?" Liara said in complete surprise.
"Ma'am." Jorge said politely, holding out his hand for her to take.
She graciously accepted while 042 maneuvered around to help out the lieutenant.
"You guys are a sight for sore eyes." Kaidan weakly quipped, nursing his aching head.
"You seem to be faring alright." 042 shot back making Kaidan blink before letting out a chuckle.
"Guy's got jokes." Alenko remarked, turning serious a moment later. "The other? Are they-?"
Douglas simply motioned his head over to another part of the area, both Liara and Kaidan looking over in relief at the sight of Jane and Garrus being assisted by Spartans 092 and 130.
Liara then desperately looked around the ruined atrium when she heard a grunt from behind a large mound of rubble. Coming out from behind it, Master Chief and Noble Six had the arms of one Commander Michael Shepard on their shoulders.
The crew of the Normandy let out relieved sighs, the four going over to their leader with Liara and Jane moving to help him, Chief and Six passing on the Spectre to them.
"Got hit in the head." Michael said jokingly, pointing to his temple.
"It's just a scratch you baby." Jane said, placing an affectionate sisterly peck on his cheek.
"Are you well, Shepard?" Liara asked in concern.
"Peachy. " He said with a small smile.
He looked over to the Spartans that had come together before them.
"So, thanks for that." Michael said plainly.
"You would have been fine without us." Noble Six stated. "Alliance aid is almost here. We just got here before them."
"Still, thanks for coming anyway." Garrus said. "Why are you all here anyway?"
"Evil spaceship." Noble Five said with a shrug. "Fate of the galaxy. Preventing extinction. That sort of thing."
The five present members of the Normandy could only stare rather blandly at the Spartan-II.
"You know, for some reason, I'm not shocked from how you said that." Jane spoke for the team with them agreeing with the statement.
The Spartans only silently nodded, turning to depart.
"Wait." Kaidan said aloud. "Where are you going?"
"Our work here is done." 092 answered.
"Don't you wish to speak with the Council?" Liara inquired.
"Not our concern." Master Chief stated. "We accomplished our mission. As have you. Now you deal with the council."
The Spartans turned around and their active camouflage kicked in, disappearing before their eyes.
The five members of the Normandy stood rooted on the spot, staring in open bewilderment at where the Spartans just up and disappeared.
"Ok, that was fucking cool." Jane admitted aloud. "And also bullshit."
"How is it," Liara squirmed slightly. "Bullshit, as you say?"
Michael couldn't help but chuckle at Liara. Now that he thought about it, she had never swore around him nor the others. How adorable her innocence was.
"They left us to deal with the council." Garrus said dryly.
"And that's a bad thing?" Liara asked.
"I hung up on them a few times during our mission." Michael admitted unashamedly.
"Think they'll be a bit more forgiving." Kaidan stated.
"How so?"
Jane nudged her brother. "We saved their ass's. Least they could do is show some appreciation."
"True." Garrus mused. "But knowing politicians-"
"They'll skew it somehow." Michael finished with the Turian nodding. "Typical."
Soon after, the Normandy crew was found by the Alliance with their injuries being treated.
By day's end, Michael along with Jane and Captain Anderson were joined by Ambassador Udina and currently stood before the three Citadel Councilors.
"Ambassador, Captain, Commander Shepard." Councilor Tevos of the Asari began as they stood before them. "We have gathered here to recognize the enormous contributions of the Alliance forces in the war against Sovereign and the Geth."
"Many Humans lost their lives in the battle to save the Citadel, brave and courageous soldiers who willingly gave their lives so that we, the Council, might live." Valern, the Salarian Councilor added.
"There is no greater sacrifice, and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women." Spartacus, the Turian Councilor stated, tone genuine over the loss of life.
"The Council also owes you a great personal debt. Commander. One we can never repay." Tevos said with complete honesty. "One we can never repay. You saved not just our lives, but the lives of billions from Sovereign and the Reapers."
"Commandeer Shepard, your heroic and selfless actions serve as a symbol of everything humanity and the Alliance stand for." Valern said approvingly.
"And even though we cannot bring back those valiant soldiers who gave their lives to save ours, we can honor their memories through our actions as of now." Sparatus declared.
"Humanity has shown that it is ready to stand as a defender and protector of the galaxy. You have proved you are worthy to join our ranks and serve beside us on the Citadel Council." Tevos said
"Councilor, on behalf of Humanity and the Alliance, we thank you for this prestigious honor and humbly accept." Udina said, hand over his chest and bowing respectfully.
"We will need a list of potential candidates to fill Humanity's seat on the Council." Valern said, eyeing the three humans before them. He saw the sister of the human Spectre merely hanging back, arms crossed and facing away from the meeting.
"And given all that has happened, I am sure recommendations will carry a great deal of weight, Commander." Tevos said to the Spectre. "Do you support any particular candidate?"
Before Michael can say anything...
"Can you give us a moment, Councilors." Anderson politely interrupted as he pulled Michael aside which prompted everyone being confused.
"Captain? What's this about?" Michael questioning his mentor
"I know you were going to pick me to be humanity first counselor but I have to decline." Anderson said with a knowing expression.
"What?!" Michael didn't bother denying it. "But why? We need someone with the courage to stand up for what we believe in and that's someone like you Anderson."
"That's why I'm declining, I can't do that here. You saw how the Council reacts to threats and their slow response to the threat before they even realize what's happening." Anderson said, alluding to Saren and how he became such a dangerous threat in such a short amount of time right under the Council's noses. "Much as I would be honored by the recommendation, being a Counselor would only stifle my capabilities and what I'm good at. I'm a soldier, Son. just like you and Jane. would you be satisfied as a self-aggrandizing pencil pusher?"
Shepard didn't respond at first, facing down at the ground.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked after a few seconds.
Anderson only smirked, placing a comforting hand upon Michael's shoulder.
"I can do a lot more good in the Alliance then sitting down and listening to boring uninteresting politicians ramble on about who got the bigger stick."
Michael chortled, matching his mentor's smirk.
"Besides, we know this ain't over and that theirs more Reapers out their waiting. We need to prepare, so I'm gonna go around getting people onboard for the upcoming fight. It's our only chance for survival in the galaxy. I can start with those Spartans we've been hearing about so much."
"Well good luck on that end Captain." Shepard said, now having his own knowing look. "They tend to appear whenever they want or are needed."
"Then I've got nothing to worry about."
Michael and Anderson rejoin the rest of the group.
"Have you made your decision Commander?" Tevos asked
" I did, I want a true advocate for humanity on the Council. Someone who will protect the interests of our species no matter what. I want Udina." Michael stated, looking to the Ambassador who actually seemed slightly surprised by the Spectres choice.
"Well, the ambassador has worked with the Council in the past, and we are familiar with his style and methods." Tevos said with a dry wit.
"A little too familiar, you could say." Sparatus said expectantly.
"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet, Councilor. I've been holding back." Udina couldn't help but give the Turian a challenging grin.
"I am certain we will all learn to work together in time." Tevos said cordially.
"Sovereign's defeat marks the beginning of a new era for both Humanity and the Council." Sparatus declared.
Michael however knew the greater challenge to come.
"Sovereign was only a vanguard. The Reaper fleet is still coming. Hundreds of ships, maybe thousands. And I'm going to find some way to stop them!" Michael said as he walks away with his crew
" Michael right. Humanity is ready to do its part. United with the rest of the Council, we have the strength to overcome any challenge. When the Reapers come, we must stand side by side. We must fight against them as one. And together we will drive them back into dark space!" Anderson said with complete determination.
Outside of the Citadel, The NOBLE watches as the Normandy fly away.
"Where did the Heretics go?" Six asked the controls of the ship.
"When Sovereign and Saren were both destroyed, they made a run for it and scattered." Cortana said, appearing before them.
"Where are they now?" Jerome inquired.
"Wandering, perhaps." Cortana said. "Right now, I've got a piece of myself in the Citadel to monitor their activity. Whenever and wherever they crop up, we should know for the most part."
Legion looked at the AI's avatar. "Construct-Cortana, you mention before that you found something in the Citadel System."
Cortana frowned, crossing her arms as her expression became contemplative.
"Yeah, it was something strange alright." Cortana said. "Old for the most part. But I've been deciphering and trying to make sense of it all."
The Spartans leaned in.
"What have you found?" Chief asked.
"Sit yourselves down guys, this one is gonna be a bit of doozy."
-Scene Cut-
Planet Autumn
Anders Lab
"Okay, preliminary tests are complete. Everything else should be in order." Ander muttered to herself.
Anders stepped back to get a good look at the now assembled Emitter. It has the appearance of a Gamma Ray medical machine but altered to be used to purge the radiation out of the coma Forge.
She had already called Captain Cutter to her lab to finally show off her new invention which hopefully will wake up the sergeant.
Laying on the Emitter is the body of Forge who was taken with some assistance personnel from Med bay to safely bring out the coma Forge and onto the Emitter.
"Captain, everything is in place. I triple checked to make sure it was working properly and had Dot analyze the machine to be sure there were no glitches. Her assessment came out with a hundred percent rate success."
She looked over to Cutter who was standing on the side, expression solemn and stoic.
"You have the final call, Captain."
After several seconds of silence, Cutter nodded.
"Do it."
Anders begins the sequence and input the commands to begin the process of purging Forge of Cherenkov radiation. His body enters the Emitter, for the next five minutes the only noise that is heard came from the machine as Anders and Cutter held their breath. Anders constantly checks Forge vitals for any error only to find none. A good sign thus far.
For what felt like eternity, the Emitter stopped and ping was heard indicating its finished. Slowly the Emitter brought out Forge's unresponsive body with the words on monitor saying.
PURGE RADIATION COMPLETE
Both Anders and Cutter stared in silence at the prone and unmoving body of Forge. He had not shown any response to the process before, during or after the procedure.
"Did it work?" Cutter asked, looking at Anders who was checking over her datapad.
"I… it should have." Anders said, making sure that the readings were correct. "Yes, it should be safe to get close now that the radiation is gone. His super soldier healing should be kicking in about now."
Cutter held out his hand, noticing that Anders was about to go over first yet he wanted to check himself. Data and numbers are one thing but sometimes it's better to go with what one could feel.
Stepping over to the unconscious sergeant and stood over him.
"Captain." Anders spoke up dryly. "When I say he's safe, he's safe."
"Just wanted to be sure." Cutter countered, Anders standing on the opposite end of the bed.
"Well Professor?" Cutter asked, looking to her as she was going over her datapad once more.
"Vitals are all stable, everything seems to be in order."
"Then why isn't he waking up?"
Anders looked from her captain to her datapad to the marine who saved her life.
"I-I don't know Captain." Anders leaned over closer to Forge's face.
Tentatively, she reached out and poked him on the chin and then the temple much to the amusement of Cutter.
"Professor, I'm pretty sure that's not gonna wake him up." He stated.
"Isn't he a marine?" Anders shot back, now poking Forge's cheek. "Aren't they supposed to be light sleepers?"
"I think this is a different sort of case, Professor." Cutter said, 'hmphing' with a small grin.
Rolling her eyes, she leaned back going back to her data.
"I don't get it." Anders said frustratedly. "I've gone over everything. The radiation was purged and all his vitals are green. So he should be waking up."
A beat of silences passes by.
"Why isn't he waking up?" Anders asked with growing irritation masking her concern.
"Maybe it's cause I don't wanna hear all that complaining."
Both Cutter and Anders froze, eyes firmly on the UNSC sergeant who was moving with the sound of joints and bones popping into place.
"Jesus fuck, what the hell happened?"
Carefully, Sergeant John Forge opened his eyes for the first time in over 20 years, wincing sharply at the light hitting his retina. Slowly, his eyes adjusted themselves as he opened them up completely to see the sight of Captain Cutter and Professor Anders standing over him.
"Captain?" Forge said in confusion. "Professor Anders? The hell are you two doing here? Wait! What happened to the Fi-"
He was silenced by Cutter's hand upon his shoulder, the elder Captain giving the Sergeant a sympathetic look.
"The Fire and her crew is safe Forge." Cutter assured. "Thanks in no small part to your efforts and sacrifice. We all owe you a debt that can't be repaid."
Feeling his muscles and bones stretch and creak back into place, Forge rubbed his head.
"What the hell happened, Captain?" Forge asked, coughing as his throat was dry.
"I'd tell ya to sit down, but you got that part covered." Cutter jibed. "Let's just say we all ended up in a place further from home then we had anticipated."
"How far from home we talking about?"
"Does parallel universes list among your choices?"
And there we have it folks. Forge is back and the events of ME1 have come to a close.
BSX: Bada Bing Bada boom we've finished ME 1. Now we can get to the good stuff.
FMW: much of the two year gap that we have in store has been planned out and there are many crazy events to come. So stay tuned for details.
BSX: I like to be clear, that I'm not a scientific wiz so to how Forge wakes up and radiation stuff is not my fortitude. I just research what I can understand about Halo Lore radiation and real life equations to give you what you just see happen. So please don't be too harsh in the comments.
FMW: We had been trying to get this out sooner but we've had other priorities come up. With me working on Infinite Wars with Jebest and BSX creating his first official outing on his profile on top of returning to old stories, we've had a busy few days. Still, we do intend on remaining as consistent as possible with the updates of this story due to this story having a planned ending that we both agreed upon. All that really remains is the long journey getting there.
BSX: Thank you all for voting in the polls and supporting our story. Very much appreciate it.
FMW: And thanks again for having this story reach past a thousand followers in such a short amount of time. It's really amazing how fast of an audience this story has gained.
Other than that comrades, polls for this story are done, ME1 is out of the way and here comes to the Two year gap with a lot to do.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.