Chapter 9: Ferryman: Lopez and Simmons

Review Replies

Edboy4926: Good chapter. By the way, any changes to the story in regards to the fact that the Future War Cult leader knows about Neomuna?

ThermalsniperN7: Unclear at this time since it's WAY too early to delve into that.

Dragon Emperor0: Yeah, we'll worry about that later.

-Freehold Ruins, Mars-

Lopez grunted as he caved a Psion's head in against a wall, having run into another Cabal squad as he made his way through the ruins of the destroyed golden age city. His time on Mars was starting to become rather troublesome, making him think it would be best if he found a way off world.

"I'm picking up a Cabal ship that's nearby. We can try to commandeer it if you'd like." Gamma stated. "I even know a set of directions to a spot where we can sit atop and fire rockets at the ground forces from a safe distance." He added.

[¿Te gusta el atajo que sugeriste y que nos dejó atrapados en la red de teletransportación Vex?] Lopez deadpanned as he hefted his slug rifle. [¿Tú piensas que soy estúpido? No escucho ninguno de tus consejos.] He added.

"... Rude." The ghost said as his Guardian just kept trudging forward.

After a lengthy hike to the designated coordinates Gamma provided, Lopez saw that a dropship had landed close by, likely with its engines still hot. It was ripe for a hijacking. The only problem was that there was a squad guarding it.

"Told you." Gamma told him.

[No empieces] Lopez barked.

The chatter got the attention of the squad guarding the Harvester, causing them to look at him and start shooting. Growling, Lopez started shooting back, killing the Psions and two Phalanxes before he decided to get up close and personal.

Putting his slug rifle on his back, he rushed forward and jumped onto one of the Legionaries, knocking them to the ground before the Exo Titan snapped its neck. Then he jumped at the other Legionary and swung his fist so hard it went through its target's head.

This continued until he was able to hurl a grenade at the advancing Cabal and blew them back–Allowing them to get into the ship and fly away, into the distance and towards a more… Suitable location.

(Elsewhere)

-Hellas Basin-

In the Clovis Bray bunker that was under the complex around the Hellas Basin, Simmons was currently trying to figure out if he should try to get things up and running in the bunker to continue to hunker down until help arrived, or try to make a break for it.

Delta, ever the Logical One, decided to offer his five cents on the issue.

"I recommend that we wait here and await extraction. Someone has surely heard our call for pickup, so logic dictates that someone will come soon—trying to find a way off world when such resources are unavailable would waste precious time and energy." He stated.

"Yeah, when you're right, you're right." The Exo mused as he began to rewire things around "Might as well get this bunker going so I don't have to stay cold the whole time." He continued as he fiddled with the power circuits. He could really go for some heat right about now.

However, as he continued his attempts, he accidentally crossed a few incorrect circuits and caused a few hidden weapon racks to come out of a wall.

"... I can't tell if that was a coincidence, or some seriously good luck." Simmons mused.

Deciding to avoid looking a gift horse in the mouth, he decided to look over his selection, which consisted of Ikelos weapons. Including an Ikelos SMG, sniper rifle, hand cannon, something called the Seventh Seraph Carbine, and various others.

"Wow, these are really well designed." Simmons noted, appreciating the craftsmanship of the weapons.

Then his attention drifted to a very advanced Ikelos Shotgun, one seemingly crafted out of Warmind cells.

"Ooh, that one looks good." He grinned as he picked up his new favorite gun. Delta had a look at its label to figure out what it was called.

"It would appear that this weapon is called 'Sleeper Simulant,' and it is supposedly very powerful." He noted.

"Guess I better take it." Simmons nodded as he took the weapon up. "Let's see what else we can do." He added.

(Elsewhere)

Back with Lopez, he was still flying his freshly acquired Harvester to a new destination where he could think on his next move. As he flew, Gamma spoke up.

"I just picked up a signal from one of my siblings. It came from the north pole." He reported. "Would you like the coordinates?" He asked.

[Ponlo adentro.] The robot told the ghost.

"Will do." Gamma nodded as he entered the coordinates.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile, in the Last City, Noble was currently lying in bed, and he could still feel four familiar and feminine arms embracing him from behind, and a soft chest pressing against his back like two pillows.

"Sleep well?" A familiar chittering voice purred into his ear.

"Honestly, I have nothing but good sleep with you around." Noble quipped, lacing his hands over two of his girlfriend's own.

"Well, as much as I'd like to stay like this, we still have a few Guardians to get to the City." The Eliksni woman sighed, reluctantly sitting up… Only for Noble to get on top of her and push her down, grabbing ahold of her top wrists and holding them at either side of her head.

"They've been waiting several weeks, Aphrodityss, I think they can stand to wait a few more hours." He told her, both of them still under the covers–but clearly without any clothing whatsoever.

"What happened to waiting when they were all in the Tower?" Aphrodityss asked, but clearly was not complaining.

"Honestly, with how long this is taking, I doubt both of us will be willing to stick to that for much longer." The Spartan remarked. "So let's just get to the fun part now, why don't we?" He offered.

The Eliksni woman sighed as she stroked the man's cheek with one of her lower arms, her eyes fluttering in a sort of "come to me" gesture, probably a method female Eliksni used to attract mates.

"Fine then." She sighed with a warm chuckle. "But you do realize that if I end up with a fertilized clutch, you're going to take responsibility." She stated.

"Honestly, a family in this new life of mine is just what I need." Noble chuckled as he mounted his Eliksni girlfriend, and leaned down–kissing her deeply.

The next thing Aphrodityss knew, she was moaning her new mate's name like a virgin being deflowered.

(Elsewhere)

In another part of the City, Eros the Beloved, another Eliksni turned ally of the City, was currently standing out front of a club call the Hunter's Den. This establishment was a favorite spot of the City's Hunters and was one that was in desperate need of a new bouncer.

But due to the fact that the patrons were Guardians, not many aside from maybe some bored Titans were willing to take up the job–for fear of becoming the target of divine Traveler smite from a stray super casted during a drunken brawl–a very common occurrence, it would seem.

So Eros, seeing that no one else was up to the task, basically said "fine, I'll fucking do it myself" and signed up as a bouncer to keep things in order.

Needless to say, he now understood why the job was so undesirable, as his having to either deescalate a situation, break up an already ensuing brawl, or toss out particularly rowdy patrons was a near daily occurrence.

It also didn't help that he was often on the receiving end of many discriminatory remarks and names, but he'd endured far worse in his house and in prison at the hands of his former superiors and other prisoners–so he was honestly numb to it.

But when he wasn't enforcing order on the club, he was having quite engaging and jovial chats with the other patrons. Even swapping stories from time to time or even taking an offered drink when a patron bought everyone a round.

It also didn't hurt that he would–on pretty frequent occasions–find himself the target of many a beautiful Huntresses' romantic advances.

Right now, however, he had his eyes closed as he leaned against the wall adjacent to the front door, dozing a bit as things were moving rather slowly, when a Warlock from the Praxic Order walked up to him.

"You there, Fallen." The Warlock, an Exo woman, said as she walked up to the Eliksni.

"Huh?" Eros gasped as he snapped back awake and shook his head before looking at her, his four eyes blinking independently. "Yes? Sorry, but this establishment is strictly Hunters only until eight o'clock." He told her, his vision still blurry due to just waking up. "Last time we let a Titans and Warlocks in early, fights ensued. More than usual." He added, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes as he yawned.

"I'm not here to enter the bar, I'm here to ask you a few things." The Warlock told him in reply.

"So long as they're within reason." Eros shrugged. "What's the name of the woman I'm talking to?" He asked, her appearance now coming into focus for him.

"Amelia-4 of the Praxic Order." The now named Amelia replied as she took off her helmet and showed the face of a female Exo. Her paint scheme consisted of white with red accents and yellow optics. She was designed in a way that wasn't too voluptuous, but was close to it with a decent CC-cup (Or a D-cup, Eros couldn't tell due to the robes) bust and a heart shaped ass.

Attire wise, she was wearing black robes that had orange decals from the Praxic Order of Warlocks. This was the Praxic Fire set. She had actually just put the helmet under her right arm, which had the Cormorant Seal bond on it.

"And what would a Praxic Warlock, marked with the Cormorant Seal, want with a simple club bouncer like myself, hmmm?" The Eliksni questioned. He had a habit of humming when he asked questions. Similar to how Variks of House Judgement would often end his with an inquisitive 'Yes?'.

"You know my Order?" Ameila questioned.

"I have dealt with them in the past." He nodded. "Always so rigid." He mused, arms folded. "You do know that when a metal is too rigid, it becomes brittle–and is thus easily broken." He added.

"Are you trying to make a point here?" The Exo Warlock questioned with a raised eyeplate.

"My point is that you need to relax more." Eros told her. "Anyway, ask what you need to ask. I've got plenty of time right now." He added, gesturing for her to start asking away.

"My sources tell me that you and your compatriots are aligned with no house." The woman began. "Answer me truthfully, are you now a part of some new house, and what does it have planned? Does it pose a threat to the City?" She questioned.

"None of us are part of a new house. We do have plans to establish one as an ally of the City called House Freedom, but not anytime soon. Things are tense enough with a few of us being here. That should render your last question null." Eros replied.

"Very well, then." Ameila nodded. "And what of your comrades in this infant House of Freedom? What are they doing now?" She questioned.

"That I can't say for certain, but I am aware that the current Baron–as we have not yet chosen a Kell–of the House is bringing many refugee Eliksni, mostly non-warriors, to an abandoned part of your City. Vacant and safe behind the walls. It should be safe enough for us to settle in." He continued. "And I have heard whispers that our Baron Randal's mate is with child…" He mused, stroking a bottom mandible.

"How is that last one significant?" Amelia questioned.

"Because his mate is one of the Huntresses of the City." Eros replied, causing the Exo Woman to blink.

"That's… Impossible." She uttered.

"It would seem that is not the case." The Eliksni mused. "Though I should say that they are not the only human and Eliksni couple…" He added idly.

"So I've heard." Amelia nodded with a sigh, having received word of Noble and Aphrodityss being a couple. "Then in that case, I'm hoping I can rely on you as my informant on matters regarding your house in the City. As I report straight to my superior Anor, who in turn has the ear of the Consensus." She continued. "Play by the rules, and your people may needn't be in the slum they're huddled in." She offered.

"... Very well, then." The Eliksni nodded.

(Elsewhere)

Back on Mars, Lopez had gone to space to circumnavigate the place and plot a quick path to the Hellas Basin. Gamma was picking up his sibling's signal from a glacier, so they had to likely land in order to get to them.

Sure enough, as they got closer, they did indeed have to land. The good news, however, was that there was a path to get there.

"I've managed to pinpoint my brother Delta's location, we should be able to find him now." The ghost stated.

[ ¿Tienes una ubicación exacta?] Lopez questioned.

"It seems to be in a bunker of some sort. Likely a Golden Age one." Gamma replied as he set up the waypoint. "I've added a waypoint for you. Feel free to continue." He added.

Lopez nodded as he trudged forward, his slug rifle on his back and a shotgun in hand.

(Elsewhere)

Back with Simmons, he had finally gotten his bunker powered up and decided to see if he could find any Golden Age data that was worth bringing back to the Last City with him. Of which there was a lot.

One such set of data was a series of video logs done by a Dr. Emily Grey, which the Exo was currently watching. Emily was in her late twenties, had black hair that reached her shoulders, lightly tanned skin and amber eyes. Her figure was nice and modest with a C-cup bust and a bubble shaped ass.

She was currently wearing a lab coat over a yellow shirt, a black skirt that reached her knees and some high heel boots.

"This is Dr. Emily Grey, log 057. I can't believe the discovery I just made in my research with the Vex: I found a human friendly collective, and they seemed eager to have me in their network when I first arrived!" She began, sounding ecstatic. "I haven't met their leader–their "Mind," if you will–but they seem very hospitable to me. It's like they want to welcome me as one of their own. The first meeting didn't really see the exchange of data, but it was still very satisfying. They say I'm welcome to visit as often as I'd like, so I'm definitely heading back into their network soon. I can't wait to see what they know!" She squealed before the log ended.

"Huh, sounds like someone was very happy about their work." Simmons noted.

"It may seem irrational, but I've found that positive attitudes and passion can often lead to innovations that even the most logical and efficient mind cannot." Delta nodded as another log opened, this one being set on Europa in the Deep Stone Crypt.

"Log entry 058. Clovis Bray himself has taken notice of my work! I'm working in the Deep Stone Crypt now, helping out with the Exo science research!" Emily exclaimed in delight before she abruptly became more subdued. "It's… More depressing than I thought it would be. A lot of these people–who literally uploaded their minds into these Exo bodies– have to be rebooted, and those reboots are fucking up their memories. It's making them remember things that aren't even true. One of the Exos I'm helping said something about his grandma's cookies, but realized he didn't have a grandma anymore since she passed away." She continued with a sigh. "I'm trying to look into ways to take stress off their minds. My Vex friends in the Defiant Initiative might have something I can adapt to help with that, which would make these Exos feel much better. I hope I'm right about that." She added further before the log ended.

"Wow… This kinda makes me glad I never had any reboots." The Exo Warlock remarked.

"It is illogical to call it good luck, but your point still stands." The Logical Ghost agreed before the next log began.

"Log entry 059. In the words of Archimedes… Eureka! I've done it! After weeks of research, several days of consulting the sub-minds of the Defiant Initiative, and months of trial and error in both design and biomechanical/genetic fabrication–I've finally done it." Emily exclaimed, running around the room–while completely naked, we might add.

The sight of the woman's naked body seemed to cause Simmon's robotic face to expel more warm exhaust, which he assumed might have been the Exo version of blushing.

"I've managed to create the first ever Exo compatible artificial reproductive systems for males and females! All it took was me getting gang banged a few times by a group of Defiant Initiative Minotaurs and–BOOM! Inspiration of the century!" She exclaimed. "It's my strong hope that this will help the men and women in these newer Exo bodies cope better with the stress on their minds caused by reboots and thus lower the need for them by staving off DER (Dissociative Exomind Rejection). Sadly, the older models can't be upgraded due to their designs." She lamented with a sigh, slumping a bit. "Oh, and I also ended up getting pregnant with Vex babies, and gave birth to them in the network. I named them after my favorite Philosophers." She smiled, her beautiful bosom bouncing vigorously. "I named them Plato, Socrates, Diogenes–The Cynic Mind– and Pythagoras. I'm gonna visit as often as I can since I want a beautiful bond with all of them!" She gushed. "I don't know how, but all of them came out as biomechanical constructs before they grew into full fledged Vex of the Defiant Initiative. That shouldn't have been possible, but look what happened–my ass got bigger!" She remarked cheerily, slapping her rear–causing it to jiggle like a jello mold–before the log ended.

"... Well, she was certainly proud of herself." Delta noted.

"Wait… Holy shit, I'm one of those newer models!" Simmons exclaimed right as he realized that he had a robo-boner.

"... Fascinating." Delta mused.

The next log then resumed playing.

"Log 060. This is it. It's finally time." Emily began, sitting in a chair while dressed in only some lilac colored frilly lingerie, transparent stockings and her lab coat. "After finally getting my go ahead from the higher ups–even getting permission from Mr. Clovis Bray himself–I'm about to convert my first volunteer into the first ever (male) sexually reproductive Exo." She continued. "If all goes well, It's likely that not only will Exos not have to worry about DER anymore, but will also be able to feel like humans again–have children again." She added excitedly. "And I'd be remiss to not mention how excited I am to test out how the model feels–and see how offspring produced by two Exos will differ from humans. But that isn't important right now." She waved.

"Huh, wonder who the volunteer is." Simmons mused.

"I am curious about that." Delta mused as well.

"If this works, then humans that upload into these bodies will have nothing to worry about later." Emily smiled. "The name of the volunteer: My boyfriend, Richard 'Dick'–Oh Traveler is that an apropos nickname for all the right reasons!–Simmons!" She exclaimed, sounding delighted to help her boyfriend get such an opportunity.

"... WHAAAAAAAT?!" Simmons yelled in shock, his optics nearly popping out of their sockets in shock.."I'M THE FIRST REPRODUCTIVE EXO?!" He continued to yell, his mind blown to pieces. "Better yet: I had a girlfriend?!" He added in shock.

"I must admit, I did not expect this." Delta confessed in a rare tone of shock.

"Diiick! It's almost time to get started, my darling soldier!" Emily called in a bubbly tone, which conveyed that she clearly loved whoever she was calling.

"I'm ready to go, sweetie!" Simmons replied as he walked up to her and pulled her into a kiss, spinning her around as he did.

"Oh I love you." Emily sighed happily, right before Past Simmons started coughing convulsively. "Oh, honey…" She sighed. "For the historical record, Dick is 25% Cyborg, but due to the kitbashed methods that were used, the fact that he had to live with parts that were extremely outdated, and having to live with an affliction that was brought on by the process and–somehowwent unnoticed for years, before now–thus first causing gradual organ failure, infertility, and–to add insult to injury–Erectile dysfunction." She sniffed, hugging Simmons to her bosom and kissing his forehead. "My boyfriend being the first reproductive Exo is as much a historic milestone as it is a product of necessity. I love him too much to lose him–so I'm saving his life no matter what." She declared before the log ended.

Simmons sat there in his chair silently, processing what he'd just learned. He was the first of a new Exo model, he had a girlfriend that uploaded him into this new body to save his life… And she was also a Vex baby momma.

He must've overlooked that last part, based on what he's seen.

"Well, this is certainly an unexpected discovery. I did not anticipate this." Delta commented.

"Neither did I." Simmons admitted with a sigh. "I'll save the rest for later… Let's skip to the last one." He nodded as he played the last available log. Log 080.

"Log entry 080… The Defiant Initiative's lead Mind, Anakrisi, just showed me a simulation that has me terrified beyond any word in all of human language." Emily began, her voice trembling as she sported a look of dread and terror. "I've told Dick about this and he's already made preparations to hunker down to wait this cataclysm out, both of us promising to reunite when this is over." She continued. "As for me, Anakrisi has offered me a chance to survive the coming storm by joining their collective via conversion into a female Vex Mind." She elaborated, sighing. "And to ensure my survival so that I can be with my children and reunite with my husband once the dust settles so we can continue our family anew… I've decided to accept their offer." She added. "We won't be the same when the storm passes… But when this one is powerful enough to bring about the collapse of human civilization, I doubt there's any way for anything to remain as they were before it came. This is Dr. Emily Grey, signing off… For the last time." She finished before the recording ended.

"A surviving Golden Age scientist? If she was converted in time, then we should find her." Delta stated.

"Yeah… Yeah, we do." Simmons nodded in agreement, now determined to search the Vex network for his apparent wife and reunite with her.

But then the recording came back to life as the camera had been bumped and they saw Dr. Emily again. She stood up from her chair and took off her glasses, before she began slowly discarding every article of her clothing–as if symbolically shedding her old identity along with it.

Seconds later, pixelated clouds appeared as Vex started to surround her, all of them male Minotaurs and Hobgoblins with Ankrisi leading them.

{Have you considered our proposal?} Ankrisi questioned.

"I have, and I accept your offer. Do whatever you need to do to change me." Emily replied.

{To do so, you must ingest some of our pure radiolaria. Not the radiosperm or radiomilk used to impregnate. Rather our pure mind fluid.} The Defiant Mind told her as she snapped her metal fingers, prompting a Minotaur to step in front of Emily–and its mouth plates opened to reveal an almost oxygen mouth mask-like membrane inside it that was connected to a feeding tube. {This one, who you know as the father of four of your sons, will be the one to convert you.} The Vex woman said. {All you have to do is kiss him, with your mouth open.} She added.

"Well, I've done a lot of crazy shit in my line of work, so this is nothing new." Emily shrugged before she stepped up to the Minotaur and leaned up to kiss him, keeping her mouth open to let the radiolaria flow into her, her tongue sliding out of her mouth erotically.

This caused the membrane mask to shoot out of the Vex's mouth and attach itself to her mouth–keeping itself in place–while the tube proceeded to pump gallons of radiolaria down Emily's throat, the woman screaming, moaning and gargling as she was made to gulp down the white ocean water-like liquid.

The transformation began not long after. Her forearms became black chrome metal, her legs became the same colored metal and turned reverse jointed and her skin jet black. Her hair was still the same shade of black it was pre-transformation, almost blending in with her new skin. It was also made of special wires now.

Lasty, her frame seemed similar to that of a Hobgoblin, but instead of horns like a typical model, she instead had cat ears and a robotic cat-like tail, as well as neon yellow cat eyes for optics.

Then she was released, and a bikini of metal plating covered her modesty.

{Welcome to the Defiant Initiative, Emily Grey, Creative Mind.} Anakrisi said, bestowing upon Emily her new title.

{Creative Mind? Hmmm… No, too bland.} The cat-girl Vex said, shaking her head, hands on her still lucious hips as her tail swished side to side. {Call me, The Brood Mind.} She purred, her yellow eyes gleaming with a seductive glow.

{As you wish.} Anakrisi acknowledged before everyone vanished back into the collective, where the recording ended when the camera detected no one in the room.

"So that's how she got changed… At least I know what she'll look like." Simmons noted.

"Indeed." Delta nodded.

It was then that a loud explosion could be heard from outside the bunker, prompting Simmons to transmat his gear into his inventory and book it outside.

"Did you get copies of the logs?!" The Exo asked as he ran.

"Yes, I pulled copies while you viewed the ones you did." Delta confirmed.

"Good!" Simmons nodded as he ran out the entryway door.

(Elsewhere)

Aphrodityss moaned as she held a lower hand on her stomach, which was swollen enough that it could have been mistaken for a baby bump.

"So full… I can't feel my body from the waist down…" She sighed, completely unable to move.

"That's what happens when your mate is a Spartan." Noble sighed, holding her from behind, taking her head into his lap. "Think I gave you a new clutch?" He asked.

"Somehow, I think you did." The Eliksni MILF replied before a chuckle escaped her. "I'm actually a little curious about how they'll turn out." She admitted, chuckling a bit more.

"I am too." The man nodded as he got back under the covers with her, and rubbed her swollen tummy. "You're going to look so beautiful when your belly swells like this for real." He smiled.

"Oh? You think a 'pregnant' me is more beautiful?" His bride questioned.

"Oh hush, you know what I mean!" Noble laughed, which was infectious enough to make Aphrodityss laugh with him as she kissed him.

(Elsewhere)

Back on Mars, a group of Fallen, Elites, Grunts and Hunters from a new house called House Covenant were locked in a firefight with a platoon of Vex from the Defiant Initiative, who had already hunkered down with their own fortifications.

Among this platoon were Goblins, Hobgoblins, Harpies, Minotaurs, four Hydras, three Cyclopses, and their lead mind… Emily Grey, the Brood Mind herself, who was brandishing a Line Rifle that could swap to a Slap Rifle when needed.

'Dick, my love. I've come for you!' She thought as she raised her rifle. "Destroy them, my subminds!" She called.

Lopez, meanwhile, was wisely taking cover from the battle in question. He didn't want to get caught in the crossfire. And right as he was about to get moving again, Simmons came out of the Bunker.

"Hey, what's going on?!" Simmons asked, not recognizing Lopez due to the usual lack of memories of his past life.

[No sé] The robot responded.

"Oh, you speak Spanish. Hi, I'm Richard Simmons." The Exo replied, holding out a hand.

[Soy López El Pesado.] The other Exo replied, shaking his hand.

"So, I take it those other aliens are fighting those Vex?" The Warlock questioned.

[Sí. Los alienígenas parecen bastante empeñados en matar a los Vex.] Lopez nodded.

"... You up for helping the Vex out?" The Exo Warlock offered, bringing out his Sleeper Simulant.

[Que?] The Exo questioned.

"Well, the firefight seems to be dragging out and it's probably gonna stay like that for a while. If we help out, we can leave sooner." Simmons explained. "Seriously, it's cold as fuck here!" He added with a shiver.

"He's not wrong." Gamma told his Guardian.

[Si. Vaminos!] Lopez nodded as they grabbed their weapons and charged in.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile, in the same district that Eros had mentioned that the newly formed House of Freedom was staying at behind the walls—in a small half sphere shaped concrete igloo—the sounds of moaning and grunting could be heard from outside.

Inside, Randal, Baron of House Freedom growled as the igloo shook and he fell onto his bed, laying on top of his mate and bride, Kai Griff—the woman's stomach swollen and plump.

"Oh man… You really know how to make me moan your name…" She sighed, holding her belly. "Ah~! Oh! I think I just felt the baby move." She gasped as she laid back in her lord's lap.

"Sounds like it's healthy, then." Randal remarked, placing a lower hand on her stomach and feeling his child kick in response to it. "And it knows its parent." He added, giving an Eliksni smile.

"Yeah…" Kai smiled as he held his hand tightly. "So when this first baby is born, how many more would you like to put inside me?" She asked, kissing his lower mandibles.

"I haven't decided yet. Let's just make sure we're ready for our new child to enter the world." Randal replied, kissing her back.

(Elsewhere)

Back on Mars, Simmons let out a cry as he threw a Nova Bomb at the remaining Hunter (Covenant), ending the skirmish. The Vex of the Defiant Initiative decided to approach them, but Emily, upon hearing Simmons' voice, visibly perked up.

"Dick? Is that you?!" She gasped as she approached him. Then she leapt into his arms and hugged him as tightly as her robotic arms would allow her to do so. "I missed you so much!" She exclaimed, radiolarian tears of joy escaping her eyes.

"All my memories of my past life are gone… But I did find some video logs you left behind." He told her, hugging her back. "I don't know why, but it feels so good to hold you again, and I think I'm starting to understand why." He sighed, feeling a sense of rightness.

"Anakrisi mentioned that this might happen…" Emily mused with a sigh. "But luckily, she might have a way to help you fill in those gaps in that pretty Exo head of yours." She smiled, booping his helmet while Delta and Gamma looked at Lopez, who just shrugged.

"Well, my Guardian has a Cabal ship I'm sure he'd love to bring to the City, so we'll take the long way. You can take whatever method you took to get here and head back to the City." Gamma told the Vex cat girl.

"Sounds alright…" Emily nodded before looking at Lopez, and quickly recognizing his electronic signature. "Oh, hello, Lopez. So you've become a Guardian too, I see." She mused.

[¿Ya sabes como soy?] The Exo Titan blinked in surprise and confusion.

"Oh yes! You, Dick and several others were quite good friends of mine." She nodded. "It'll all make more sense later, I promise." She told him.

It was then that a crate landed near them. Apparently it had been frozen in the glacier and only got loose after the battle. As for what was inside of it…

"Oh fuck all kinds of duck with a steel covered cactus, what the actual fuck is going on?!" An angry voice yelled from the crate, cursing up a storm.

"What the fuck was that?" Simmons questioned as he looked around.

"I think it came from that crate." Delta mused.

A Minotaur walked up to the crate and opened it before pulling out a grenade launcher. It was green and had a roaring face painted near the muzzle, not unlike the Dragon's Breath rocket launcher.

"Ah finally, fresh air!" The Grenade Launcher sighed.

"Whoa, did that thing just talk?!" Simmons exclaimed in surprise.

[Creo que así fue.] Lopez nodded slowly in reply, as if processing what he just heard.

"Simmons? Lopez? That you? Shit, you guys got a makeover." The weapon commented, and sounded familiar with the two.

"Why do I get the feeling that I've heard that voice before…?" Simmons mused.

"Wait, I know that voice…" Gamma noted as he floated up to the gun.

"Aw shit, Gamma? How the flying fuck are you still alive?!" The talking gun asked with a groan.

"How do you even know us?" Simmons had to ask, voicing his and Lopez's confusion.

"What the fuck, are you serious?! It's me, Andy!" The grenade launcher exclaimed indignantly. "Andy the Bomb? Hello? We stopped a Covenant ritual together with the Blue team! Is any of this ringing a bell?" He questioned.

"Don't bother. Turning into Guardians made them lose their memories." Emily interjected. "Anyway, if you wanna take your stolen Cabal ship, Lopez, go ahead. I'll take Simmons through the network and meet you there." She continued, looking at the Exo Titan.

The robot simply saluted and walked towards his ship, picking up Andy along the way.

"Heh, Los Tres Robotos, that'd be one hell of a b-movie title." Andy chuckled.

[Cállate listo.] Lopez grunted as he got in his Harvester and took off for the City.

"Shall we go, darling?" Emily cooed as she embraced Simmons, laying her head on his chest.

"Yeah… Lead the way." The Exo Warlock replied, holding her close as she teleported him with her, the subminds following suit as the fortifications vanished, leaving only dead Covenant soldiers to be buried by the snow.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile, back in the City sometime later, Tex and Noble had finally left their quarters and the Eliksni woman's belly was finally back to its normal size, both of them having their gear ready and armor on to go find another set of Epsilon's siblings.

Upon reaching the hangar bay, however, they were surprised to find two of said siblings already there. Namely Delta and Gamma. Presently, their Guardians were talking with Anakrisi.

"Delta? Gamma? When did you guys show up?" Epsilon asked as he floated up to them.

"Just now, Actually." Delta replied. "I see you too found a Guardian." He noted.

"Took longer." Gamma added.

"Well, at least we're here now." Noble shrugged. "Anyway, since you're here, that lightens our load. Now we can focus on the others." He added.

"He's not wrong." Aphrodityss shrugged.

"So who's left?" Alpha questioned as he flew up to them with the other Ghosts of the Reds and Blues (except for Theta for obvious reasons).

"According to the list… There's your brothers Omega and Zeta, and lastly your sister Beta." Noble replied, giving the list a once over.

"Well, let's hope they haven't gotten into too much trouble." Epsilon said as he, his Guardian and Aphrodityss got on the Prowler and left.

Their next destination: Titan.

(Elsewhere)

-Valhalla, abandoned UNSC base world-

In the frozen wastes of the ice world of Valhalla, a Ghost that had on a Dawning Bauble shell was skimming the frozen expanse of water before him, his scanning light searching for anything resembling a choosable corpse.

Minutes passed with no luck, until he saw a faint, almost unnoticeable green light flickering in the distance under the ice.

"Hm? What could that be?" The Ghost wondered before heading to investigate the light. Upon doing a scan, he was pleasantly surprised by the result.

Apparently, there was a body down there.

The Ghost's optic then flickered red before it did the scan again, but this time–a circular laser cut out a hole big enough for him to go through into the ice.

Heading underwater, he started looking around for the light's source, and it didn't take long to locate it. It was coming from a remarkably well preserved body of a human male in his early to mid thirties.

The man was caucasian, with a shaved head, was well beyond normal levels of build, much like the other Spartans, and had several surgical scars all over his body–the marks of clear augmentation–the most grizzly of which was a stitching scar going around his throat and an accompanying skin graft.

This was the body of Agent Maine of Project Freelancer–otherwise known as The META.

"Wow. You really went through the wringer, didn't you?" The seasonal themed Ghost mused. He then did a scan and got a positive reading. Right as he was about to send out a pulse of light, he stopped himself, realizing that being brought back to life in frigid water probably wasn't the best thing for a new light. "Hmmm… Ah!" He hummed before an idea hit him.

Focusing his lens, he used his own personal transmat system to warp both him and the body to the surface of the ice–said body falling flat on its face in stiff rigor mortis.

Then the Ghost decided to do an assessment of the man that would become his Guardian. He didn't find anything out of the ordinary… Except for the Hive rune on the back of his neck.

The rune in question was flashing green like the light he saw–and had three diamonds that were on some sort of angular hash mark–it was something that the Ghost hadn't seen before.

"Hm… That's concerning." The Ghost muttered, a little concerned about the unknown implications of this rune. "Well, I can't really remove it, so I'll just have to proceed regardless." He mused before sending out a pulse of light.

Seconds later, Maine was snapped awake from his deathly slumber as a suit of New Light Titan armor was materialized around him.

"... What?" The spartan got out hoarsely, his vocal chords clearly still mending.

"Welcome back to the living world." The holiday Ghost said, getting the man's attention as he forced his fingers to move. "My name is Red Lotus, though most prefer to call me Santa–Don't ask where I got the nickname, I assure you there is no reassuring answer–and I'm your Ghost." The drone added.

"I'm… Maine…? META…? I don't know which…." The new light groaned, holding his head.

"Let's stick with Maine, it seems a simple and dignified name." Santa told him.

"Alright…" Maine groaned before coughing. "Where are we?" He asked, his voice now sounding much better.

He almost sounded like a less gravely version of Chief.

"A world known as Valhalla. But we won't stay here for long." His Ghost replied. "Our true destination is the Last City, on Earth." He continued.

"We're going to need a ship, then… And I don't see one here." Maine noted, looking around.

"You needn't worry, I saw a few ships near an abandoned base just north of here, I'm sure we can find one that's operational." Santa replied.

"That should do it." The Titan nodded before he started making his way to where the ships were.

(Later)

Sometime later, Maine and Santa were finally able to get a ship up and running so they could go off world–but as they broke orbit and went into space, someone was watching them.

It was a female Hive with an Acolyte's body structure, but had a set of moth wings on her back. She uttered only one thing as she watched the ship leave.

"Now, at last, my king can mature for me." She mused in a deceptively friendly tone. "Thank you Traveler, you have no idea the debt my dynasty will owe you for this." She chuckled before disappearing.

Hidden gears for equally hidden plans had just begun to turn…

ThermalsniperN7: Sorry for the wait, but we had a lot of other things to tend to that took up our attention.

Dragon Emperor0: That and planning was kind of a bitch, too. Sorry all the same.

ThermalsniperN7: Exactly. Anyway, we decided to have Lopez get himself a ride and help Simmons out. Speaking of, apparently Emily Grey is cuckoo for Coco Puffs if she's gonna get it on with Vex of all things…. Even if it gives her the most bizarre inspirations out there.

Dragon Emperor0: I always found it weird how the Exos were never given the ability to or at least something similar to reproduction, since its stated in Warmind that the desire to do so was programmed into them as a humanism that's supposed to offset DER. But I suppose that wouldn't have really made sense from a story perspective, so I'll just shrug it off.

ThermalsniperN7: Let's not forget how Emily's not only a Vex baby momma, but also got turned into a Vex Mind herself… With a robot cat girl design. That's one of the oddest things she's done, but everything she did in those video logs is honestly in character if what I've seen of her is anything to go by. Seriously, I still remember when she used surgical equipment to take a dude apart as an interrogation method… That was fucked up… Just how the fuck did Simmons end up with her?!

Dragon Emperor0: I'm thinking that her working with the Clovis Bray corporation may have made her a bit less crazy, so the two could have actually grown to like each other due to that… Also—Andy's back! Man, I sure have missed that smarmy little Shizno!

ThermalsniperN7: I get the feeling that Immaru's gonna have a new best friend when we get to that point… Also, we did have plans to turn Maine/META into an Exo, but then we realized that it wouldn't really fit how the Reds and Blues were found. Also, while we were planning things, we figured out how to make this Arc end sooner since it's dragging out longer than I'd like. The method will be revealed when the Doc, Donut and Carolina are covered. Anyway, see you next time.