I do not own Halo or any of the characters.

Missions

Ethan stared at the artifact as they flew toward the Infinity. It was a big rectangle of metal with a variety of energy readings coming off of it, and which hovered a few inches off the ground. Maria was still scanning it and trying to figure out what it did. Finally, the Pelican landed and Crimson got off, a group of scientists coming to collect the artifact. As Ethan watched, the rest of Crimson waited with him.

"What's wrong?" Amelia asked.

"I'm getting a lot of really weird readings," Maria said. "I don't think we should have it on-"

The artifact suddenly lit up bright orange along the seams and slammed to the floor. A scientist stepped forward and reached out to it, but it sent out a pulse of orange energy, which made Ethan and Maria both shout in pain as it swept over them, Jason and Frank catching Ethan.

"Dammit!" Ethan growled. "I fucking hate this planet! Every time we come here I get scrambled by a Sensor Scan or an EMP!"

"Is that what that was?" Palmer asked, running over with Thorne.

"Yes," Maria said, appearing in front of Ethan using his eyes as projectors. "Roland, the artifact's the cause of the power loss in the ship's systems."

"Thanks for the heads up," Roland said over their comms.

Maria disappeared and Ethan walked over to the artifact, holding his right hand out. A blue laser from his palm scanned the artifact, and Maria groaned.

"What?" Palmer asked.

"We're stuck," Maria announced.

"What?" Palmer frowned.

"This artifact just created a Slipspace Anchor between us and Requiem," Maria explained. "If we need to bug out for any reason, we'll need to find a way to shut it down first."

"Wait, I don't understand," Palmer said. "Slipspace isn't physical. How can it be an anchor?"

"Slipspace is the one thing that no species currently alive fully understands," Ethan said. "For all we know, Slipspace could become a bomb and we'd have no idea."

"There's an interesting thought that you will never explore," Palmer said.

"Agreed," Ethan nodded. "Anyway, as Maria said, we'll have to find a way to deactivate this thing before we can leave Requiem."

"I'd like to get that taken care of sooner rather than later," Palmer said, just as artificial gravity shut off, all of the Spartans, and Ethan, activating their mag boots and remaining fixed on the ground. Ethan looked outside of the hanger, seeing they were beginning to get pulled toward the planet.

"Maria, lend Roland a hand, would you?" Ethan asked.

"Already on it," Maria said. "Engines coming back online in three...two...one...now."

There was a low hum that grew higher before fading as the engines came back online. Palmer turned and sprinted at the artifact before kicking it hard. Ethan raised an eyebrow, only to then rest his face in his hand as the artificial gravity turned back on, everyone turning their mag boots back off.

"Thank you, Maria," Roland said.

"You're welcome!" Maria said cheerfully.

"I can't believe that actually worked," Ethan said.

"Hey, sometimes the best remedy is the proper application of force," Palmer smirked.

After a few minutes, during which Palmer tried kicking, lifting, and otherwise trying to move the artifact, Lasky and Dr. Glassman, the head scientist on the Infinity, walked over to them.

"Status update, Sarah," Lasky said.

"Further attempts at...physical persuasion have had no effect," Palmer said. "Damn thing's stuck fast."

"Any luck on your end, Ethan and Maria?" Lasky asked.

"Some," Ethan said. "As I told Sarah earlier, this thing's created a Slipspace anchor. We think it has a twin on, or inside, the planet somewhere, and they're pulling each other like magnets, but our engines are able to resist, even if not break free. We can't get it to shut off, however."

Lasky nodded. "All yours, Dr. Glassman."

Dr. Glassman walked over to the artifact instantly, waves of Hardlight reaching toward his hand as he moved it near the artifact, flashing when he touched them.

"I wouldn't touch it, doc," Ethan said. "We're getting the same kinds of readings from those waves as-."

"It's fine," Dr. Glassman said. "Watch."

He touched it and it again flashed, brighter this time. As he raised his hand, waves of orange energy began to spread from his fingers over his body.

"Amazing," Dr. Glassman said. "I've never seen anything like this."

"Dr. Glassman!" Lasky said urgently, Glassman finally noticing the energy had almost covered him.

"Captain!" Glassman shouted just as a white vortex appeared over the artifact, beginning to pull him in.

Lasky reached for his arm, only for Ethan to yank him away, allowing Dr. Glassman to be pulled in.

"I was going to say, we're getting the same readings as whenever Crawlers or Knights teleport around, but I guess he gets the picture," Ethan said.

"Is he dead?" Lasky asked.

"I don't think so," Ethan said. "I think he's somewhere on Requiem. Probably wherever the other artifact is."

"We need to find him," Lasky said.

"Agreed," Ethan nodded, looking to Crimson. "You all are going to go on your next mission without me. I'm going to stay here and finish with Majestic's weapon upgrades and a few other goodies."

"Can I have a Hardlight Railgun?" Erin asked instantly.

"Sure," Ethan said. "It's called an Incinerator, and I'm sure you'll be shot at by one."

Erin rolled her eyes. "You're no fun."

Ethan smirked, shrugging, and gave Palmer a quick kiss before heading for the Armor Bay. From there, he headed to the armory, grabbing an Assault Rifle for each of Majestic's members, besides Thorne, who already had his, then grabbed a Railgun for Erin, and a dozen shield projectors. He took it all to his room and dropped it all onto his bed with the parts and pieces of Hardlight technology he'd collected and had Crimson and Majestic collect the last couple missions. Then, he set to work.

Ethan walked into the medbay and over to where Hoya was being inspected by one of the medics. "No saving him, right?"

The medic glanced at Ethan and smirked.

"I got the time," Ethan said. "Call it."

"Nah, nah, nah," Hoya said. "I'm fine. Just got jumped by a Promethean Knight, that's all."

"That's not a small thing, Hoya," Ethan said.

"It was this time," the medic said. "He's gonna have a pretty scar, but he's cleared to return to the field now."

"Really?" Ethan asked, leaning down to inspect the cut in Hoya's side and the bruises above it from his broken ribs. "This hurt?" He poked the ribs lightly, and Hoya yelped, swatting at his hand.

"Fuck you!" Hoya groaned.

"Shit, guess you're gonna need some help in the field," Ethan said. "Lucky for you, I provide."

Hoya raised an eyebrow as Ethan held out a shotgun and a shield projector. "New toys?"

"Of course," Ethan smirked. "A perfectly normal shotgun, and a new shield projector that should be a little more useful against Hardlight projectiles."

"Thanks," Hoya grinned, accepting both as he stood. "I suppose this makes up for you poking my ribs."

"Consider it punishment for being wounded," Ethan said. "Let the rest of Majestic to come find me in the armory before they head out."

Hoya nodded, and they left the medbay. Ethan headed to the armor bay to get suited up before heading to the armory. He swapped his own shield projector for his finally perfected Hardlight shielding unit, as he'd given Hoya, then gathered all of Crimson and Majestic's new shield projectors along with Majestic's new weapons. After about an hour of waiting, Majestic had all cycled through, and Crimson had just returned to the Infinity and came to see him, per the instructions he'd had Maria send.

"Merry Christmas, Crimson," Ethan said. "Hardlight shield projectors."

Crimson cheered, rushing to grab their upgrade and swap them out. And as they did, Ethan picked up the Hardlight Railgun he'd made for Erin, holding it out to her. She squealed like a child, hugging the extremely deadly weapon to her chest, and Ethan set a hand on her shoulder to stop her from literally bouncing.

"Setting One fires explosive Hardlight projectiles with a fifty meter blast range," Ethan warned. "Setting Two is penetration. Don't kill anyone we like."

Erin nodded. "Thank you sir!"

"Sir, could you stop seducing my girlfriend, please?" Amelia teased.

"Don't make Sarah kill me," Ethan said flatly.

The others laughed, and they all left the armory, Crimson heading out on a mission as Ethan headed for his room first, then the operations center after. As he arrived, Miller swore.

"What's going on Miller?" Palmer asked.

"Multiple Phantoms closing in on Crimson's position!" Miller warned.

"Multiple, huh?" Palmer asked, pulling up a hologram just in time for Maria to highlight four Phantoms on it in red for her. "Well that's hardly fair. They're gonna need way more than that to beat Crimson."

Just then, the miniscule Erin in the hologram raised her railgun and fired, and the hologram of one of the phantoms faded as she cheered. Palmer raised an eyebrow, but Ethan merely grinned.

"That's all of the Phantoms, Commander," Miller reported.

"Told ya it wasn't a fair fight," Palmer smirked, then looked over at Ethan. "New toy?"

"New toy," Ethan nodded, watching as Erin rapidly took down two more phantoms while Frank used his sniper to take down the last. "Nice job, Crimson."

"Thank you, sir," Jason grinned. "Just trying to make you proud."

"Kiss ass," Ethan chuckled. "How're the new shields?" He passed Palmer hers as he stepped up next to the projector, then tossed Lasky one that could work without a Spartan's armor as well.

"It's perfect!" Amelia cheered. "The Covenant could barely scratch it! At least compared to normal. About ten seconds under heavy fire from five grunts and three Elites with Storm Rifles."

"Good to know," Ethan nodded.

"Oh shit!" Dalton swore. "Crimson's Pelican just went down!"

"What!?" Ethan asked.

"What the hell brought them down?" Palmer asked.

"AA guns in the area," Miller said seriously.

"Sitrep, Miller!" Palmer snapped as Ethan sprinted from the room, glad he was already in his armor. "Is anyone alive down there?"

"All Crimson IFF tags active!" Miller said. "They're in one piece, Commander Palmer. But they've got bad guys inbound!"

"Hold back all other air traffic near Crimson's coordinates until they can take down those guns," Palmer said. "Gagarin will have to wait. Spartan Zero, don't do anything stupid!"

"Too late, Commander," Ethan said, leaping out of the Infinity's hangar and plummeting toward the planet. "Maria, course."

"Highlighting it now," Maria said, forming a transparent, blue path through space for Ethan.

He activated the thrusters he'd added to his armor, which were all powered by Hardlight power cells like his Hardlight weapons and shield projectors, and began to steer himself down to the surface of the planet. As he began to drop through the atmosphere, he flipped using the thrusters to slow himself enough to not burn up, then finally locked his armor and dropped just in time to avoid the opening barrage from the AA guns. A moment later, he exploded down on top of an Elite with an Energy Sword just as it was about to ambush Frank next to the Pelican's burning remains.

"Nice of you to drop in, Sir," Frank smiled, continuing to fire his sniper rifle over and over, rapidly dropping targets as the Covenant swarmed them.

"Spartan Zero, as soon as you get back, you and I are going to have a long discussion about your choice of deployment methods!" Palmer snapped. "And then you're going to start retrofitting every suit of Spartan Armor on the ship with those thrusters"

"Can do, Commander," Ethan smirked as Maria unlocked his armor for him and he pulled his Assault Rifle off of his back and sprinted across the valley they'd crashed down in, joining the others behind a boulder just as several Elites began to spray it.

"Long time no see, sir," Jason greeted him.

"Appreciate the reinforcements," Amelia smiled.

"I dropped my new toy out of the pelican!" Erin complained.

"Of course you did," Ethan rolled his eyes. "Maria?"

"It's up ahead," Maria said. "We should probably get to it before the Covenant."

"Yeah, I'd rather not blow up, today," Ethan agreed, charging out of cover, the others just behind him.

At a dead sprint, they all opened fire, their Hardlight bullets ripping through Elites, Grunts, and Jackals rapidly. They climbed a hill quickly, taking a narrow path between massive rock formations, and slaughtered everything in their path as they did. As they neared the top of the hill where the path turned, Frank caught up with them. They all quickly turned the corner together, and as a wall of plasma fire flew at them, they returned fire with a wall of Hardlight bullets, which slaughtered the multiple Elites waiting for them just as before their Hardlight shields gave out.

"I'm set!" Frank reported, opening fire instantly and beginning to pick off targets on the Forerunner facility ahead of them.

"Miller, paint the targets for them," Palmer instructed.

"First target is lit," Miller said as a blue diamond appeared in their view on the first AA gun's controls.

"I'll mark the other two," Maria said, highlighting them instantly.

Jason, the first!" Ethan instructed over the continuing gunfire as they stormed the facility. "Amelia, Erin, the second!"

Everyone agreed, and they all sprinted toward their designated AA guns. As Ethan ran, he scooped up Erin's Railgun and tossed it to her, and she stuck it to her back as she thanked him, then returned to firing. Ethan put his assault rifle away as he approached the controls, instead forming his Hardlight Sword. A moment later, a pair of Elites stepped out with their Energy Swords, only for Ethan to extend his Energy Dagger and deflect a sword with his own, driving the Energy Dagger up under the first Elite's ribs. The next lunged, stabbing at Ethan, only for him to pull the first Elite into the path of the second's Energy Sword, then step back, allowing the second Elite to stab the first and yank his sword back, then slashed the Elite down the front, killing it instantly. Then, he retracted his Energy Dagger and set his hand on the controls for his AA gun, deactivating it a few seconds after both of the others deactivated. And then, a pair of Phantoms began to roll in.

"Let's test this penetration," Erin grinned, readying her Railgun.

"There's no way you're taking out both," Amelia said.

"Wanna make a bet?" Erin asked.

"Sure," Amelia grinned. "Winner gets to choose what game we play next."

"Oh, you're on!" Erin grinned, sighting in. "Aaaand...now."

She fired, and the flash of Hardlight punched through both front stabilizers on the first Phantom, then into the nose of the second, exiting the rear. A split-second later, both Phantoms erupted into twin, purple explosions, and Erin grinned at Amelia.

"Let me guess," Amelia sighed. "Handcuffs?"

"You know me so well!" Erin grinned.

Amelia shook her head, sighing, and Ethan chuckled.

"Crimson, situational update," Palmer said. "We need you to go rescue Science Team Gagarin. They're in a jungle a couple of clicks from your position, so you're gonna be hoofing it to their position."

"This is because I jumped, isn't it?" Ethan asked.

"Damn right it is," Palmer agreed. "Better get moving."

Ethan sighed. "Alright, Maria. Which way we heading?"

"Marking route," Maria said, a glowing trail appearing in his vision.

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