Remnants

by General Rage

From Halo's ashes, a mismatched Alliance is born. UNSC soldiers now serve alongside both Batarian deserters and shifty Jackal Space Pirates. Now Shepard and Master Chief have to keep these strange bedfellows from killing one another before they can stop an emergent new threat to the galaxy. The Next Swashbuckling Chapter of the Wormhole Chronicles.

17. Return to Reach

Chapter 16: Return to Reach

War would End if the Dead could Return

-Stanley Baldwin

The Ascendant Justice, along with its miniature fleet, pulled out of slipspace just outside the boundary of the Episilon Eridani System. Given the nature of the mission at hand, it would be unwise to arrive any closer to their intended target. For the next few hours, the carrier coasted towards its objective, intent on keeping a low profile. The Covenant were likely still in the system, still prowling for human stragglers. It was unlikely there were any humans left to kill, but the Covenant were always very thorough as far as genocide was concerned. They didn't move on unless they were sure they got everyone. Considering no one knew for sure how fast news of the Justice's capture had traveled through the Covie battlenet, it was probably best to keep out of sight as long as possible. Cortana said she could disguise the Carrier's transponder as another ship, but for now it was best to play it safe. Slow and steady was the name of the game for now.

Commander Shepard was on the bridge with the Master Chief, alongside the rest of the Spartans. They were eagerly awaiting for the fated moment to arrive. When the sensors would lock on to why they were here in the first place. Everything on the Bridge was deathly silent as the Carrier moved through the sea of black, edging closer to its final goal. Soon enough, it came into view on the screens. Chief stared at the image with a sense of clear reverence and foreboding.

Reach, the once proud human colony, was now a withered, burnt out husk. The results of the Covenant endgame for all human worlds, glassing. They had methodically burnt the surface of the world to ash. It was not enough to kill the humans, they had to wipe out any evidence that they had existed at all. It was the only way to "cleanse" the galaxy in their mind.

Commander Shepard kept watching Chief as the Spartan glared at the image. He could only imagine what he was feeling. Reach meant many things to different people in this fleet of theirs. For Shepard, he saw it as one of his more hopeless failures. No matter how much they fought, no matter what they did, Reach's fate had been sealed. The Normandy, for all it was worth, was not enough to turn the tide.

For Chief though, it was more than failure though. It was about a loss of everything. The planet he called home for most of his life, yes, but more importantly in his mind, it was the place where what was left of his family had died.

The other Spartan IIs, the soldiers Chief had fought alongside for decades in a war with seemingly no end. Shepard had family, blood relatives, his mother most prominently. Chief only had his fellow abducted child soldiers to rely on, to bleed with, to fight with. Now, he clung to the hope that they weren't dead. That somehow, the rest of his team was alive. That he and Linda would reunited with them. At the moment, seeing the charred remains of Reach on the screens, that hope seemed all but dashed in an instant.

"As expected," Haverson observed. "Glassed. Completely and utterly. I'd be surprised if there was anything alive left on the surface."

"Assessment, Lieutenant?" Holland requested.

"We're here now, sir. No sense in jumping out so quickly," he stated. "We can still observe Covenant fleet operations and figure out their potential movements. Perhaps Cortana can monitor their communications as well. That way this won't be a total waste."

"What about the relic?" Shepard asked. "It could still be down there."

"Or the Covies already recovered, Commander," Haverson cautioned. "Monitoring their communications should confirm it one way or the other."

Shepard turned to Chief, but the Spartan seemed to show sign of emotion. He didn't look defeated, perhaps he was still holding out hope. Linda was behind him, showing no outward emotion either, but her position close to him was a clear sign of an attempt to ease his mind. The same couldn't be said of Kat or Jun. Their helmets were off for one, so they were instantly easier to read. Both of them looked sullen, crestfallen. Kat's brow especially was sunk into a deep contemplative stare.

Shepard knew that look, he had shared a similar one on his face after Elysium, after Virmire and after Horizon. It was when you mentally replayed everything in your head, when you tried to think of what you could've done differently, how you could've prevented this. In the end, you come up with nothing, but you never really accept that you couldn't have done anything. You always think you could've done more, been more. That you could've won.

But in that moment of loss, there was a sudden light, as Cortana up on the dashboard.

"Sirs," she spoke directly to Holland and Haverson. "You may want to hold off on declaring this whole planet glassed. The Covenant appear to have missed a spot."

Cortana pulled up a zoomed in scan of a large portion of the planet, about the size of a small city, somewhere in the wilderness. It had not been touched. Not a single speck of green grass or brown soil had been scorched. It had been preserved, spared.

"That is... highly unusual," Haverson acknowledged.

"Only one reason the Covenant wouldn't glass part of a planet," Holland observed. "There's something there they don't want destroyed."

"The relic," Shepard quickly filled in for them. "That's our search area."

"My thoughts exactly," Cortana confirmed. "With what we know, it's the best explanation as to why this area has been left untouched. They're concerned about destroying the relic during the glassing. And if they had already found it, then they wouldn't have left it like it is."

So there was still a chance. Shepard looked to Chief, his posture changed. Hope had been answered, emboldened by resolve.

"Chances are they've had more than enough time to search the area," he warned. "They could be closing in on the relic. We need to move quickly."

"Agreed," Holland replied. "Then we need to start laying down a plan. Haverson, bring Taq in here. Inform her the relic is planetside and her recovery mission is a go."

Haverson nodded and contacted the kig-yar female over his omni-tool. Not but a minute later was she rushing through the doors and over to the holographic screen.

"We got a fix?" She asked frantically.

"We have a search area," Haverson explained. "We need your help in shrinking it down a bit."

Taq examined the search area, her eyes peering over the untouched landscape. Keeping her talons under her beak, her look was thoughtful, tempered. Her eyes moved to a single blip on the map.

"What's this structure?" She asked.

Haverson gave it a moments look and quickly figured out what it really was.

"That would be Castle Base," he stated. "No record of any Forerunner structures near there, at least to my knowledge."

"Hmm, dead then," Taq sighed. "Did any of you ever detect catacombs or hollow spaces nearby?"

"There are a few, standard seismic scans pre-construction," Haverson replied. "Nothing we've mapped extensively, again, at least to my knowledge. It never seemed to be an issue before and it's not even directly under the building."

"Not really important," Taq stated. "Well, the catacombs are, just not whether or not they're under the building. Point is this is going to make it more difficult. I'm afraid other methods will be needed."

That got everyone's attention, especially Holland's. He stepped behind her, an inquisitive look on his face.

"What methods?" He asked.

"If you knew of a possible Foreruner site in this area, I could formulate a manageable search perimeter," Taq explained. "Right now? I got a tunnel system that stretches who knows how wide. I need, well, the other Relic."

Holland audibly grumbled in annoyance. Taq got his meaning pretty quickly.

"I don't like it, but that's what we're stuck with," Taq stated. "Trust me, I already get your concerns."

"We risked a lot to keep that Amplifier out of Covenant hands," Holland reminded her. "Now you're putting it at risk again by bringing it down there."

"It works like a map as well as a signal device," Taq explained. "It can hone in on the second relic's energy signature, allowing us to track it down efficiently instead of wandering around aimlessly for who knows how long trying to find it. It's our best bet if you wanna get out of here with both relics."

"What happens if the Covenant find you?" Haverson asked. "Then they'll have two artifacts, instead of the one."

"A risk worth taking to make sure they don't get either," Taq argued. "Besides, isn't that what they're for?"

Taq pointed to the Spartans, Master Chief standing at attention as she did.

"Sirs, we can handle this," he assured. "If we stay under the radar and move efficiently, we can get off planet with both relics in hand."

"And if complications arise?" Holland asked.

"We'll do what Spartans always do, adapt and improvise," Chief answered. "One way or another, the Covenant will not get either Relic."

Holland took a moment to consider, but eventually he relented.

"I've always had confidence in the abilities of Spartans," he confessed. "If you believe you can accomplish this mission with minimum difficulty, then we entrust it to you and Commander Shepard to get it done. Extract the Relic from the planet, Chief. Everything else is secondary."

Holland made a point about that "secondary" part, Shepard could see that. The Colonel wasn't stupid, he knew why Chief wanted to go down there. He wanted to get back to Reach to find his team, or at least what happened to them. Now Holland had made it clear, Relic first and possibly only. To his credit, the Spartan just saluted, accepting the command. When Holland turned to Shepard, he was quick to answer back before the old man even spoke.

"I've already selected my team," he assured. "We'll provide support however we can."

"Good, let's wrap this up quickly and get out of system with the Covenant's prize," Holland ordered. "We don't want to be here longer than we have to. Reliving old wounds is not something any soldier wants to deal with."

He looked towards Kat as he said this, giving a slight, reassuring look. Kat only responded with a simple nod of her head and placed her helmet on in readiness. Jun did the same soon after, both their expressions now fully masked and guarded.

After Chief picked Cortana out of the console, he and his team turned to leave. Haverson was already moving to leave the Bridge as Shepard filed out with the Spartans and Taq. Wherever he was going was beyond his purview, but it was far from the most important matter on Shepard's mind. Master Chief's peace of mind was of greater concern. After hearing about the catacombs, it didn't take much to figure out what the Spartan was thinking.

"Could your team have gotten in cover in time?" Shepard asked.

"It's your best chance of survival during a planet glassing," Chief explained. "They'd have headed there the second the plasma beams started scorching the surface."

"It would be the first thing Kelly would think of," Linda added.

"You know the chance is still remote though?" Shepard asked.

"It's better than it was yesterday," Chief replied. "No matter what happens, we get answers today. One way or another."

---

Zek stood outside Haverson's office with Retz. He was eagerly pacing around, frantic about what they had been called here for. Retz remained as calm as ever, but that was only because he was better at hiding things. Zek wanted to get back to the Bridge and wait for updates on the relic Taq was hunting. Just because he wasn't being allowed to get anywhere near Reach for the moment didn't mean he couldn't keep up with the ground mission. This was, after all, the next leg in the quest for the Astral Cutlass. What in the vast empty black void could be more important than that? Important enough for Haverson to call him down here? It was enough to make one paranoid.

"I hate not knowing more than this jerk," Zek grumbled. "I don't like it. He's too damn fucking sneaky, Retz. Like you, but with less of a personality."

"You need to relax, sir," Retz tried to placate him. "Going in there nervous is only going to give him more satisfaction than he deserves."

"But does he know anything?" Zek asked worriedly. "Is he trying to entrap us? Put us over a barrel? What's his angle? I don't like not knowing this little before a business negotiation. Assuming this even is one."

"Haverson is a bureaucratic stooge of the restrictive human governmental system," Retz reminded him, forcing his friend to stop pacing around by physically holding him back. "He likes this kind of bigger than you, constricting position of power. He plays these sorts of mind games in order to mess with our heads and freak us out. Standard business tactic, he's making us sweat. We cannot let him see it."

Zek seemed to calm down, but at that moment the doors to the office opened up. Taking his friend's words to heart, Zek straightened up, smoothed his quills a bit and walked into the room with Retz by his side. Haverson was already at his small desk, a portable computer open in front of him. He was typing away at something, but he spared a glance to look up at the pirates. Zek wondered if he was actually typing something or if this was just more of the minds games as Retz had suggested.

"Zek, Retz, I'm glad you could make it," he greeted finally, moving his chair a bit to look directly at them. "We need to discuss something."

"Guessing this isn't about the relic though," Zek reasoned. "We're not on that mission. You said we'd be a complication."

"We're keeping the ground team small in general to remain covert," Haverson reminded him astutely. "We don't need to risk more personnel than needed right now. Four Spartans with Shepard's team supporting them, plus Taq, is more than sufficient for the mission's needs. Especially considering what we ran into last time."

"So then why are we here?" Retz asked.

"Because I have another mission in mind," Haverson explained plainly. "There were more than a few reasons to come back to this system. After checking in with our long range sensors, I confirmed that there is indeed another tangible objective we must secure while we're here."

After clicking a few buttons on his console, a holographic image of a planet emerged over the desk. It was not Reach though, it was a Gas Giant, one of the two located in this system from the looks of it. Before Zek could even ask what this was about, the image closed in on the planet's ring, getting a close-up of one of the many rocks and icy debris that made up the celestial body. Lodged inside the floating hunk of frozen over stone appeared to be some kind of structure. Retz figured out what it was instantly.

"A spy station," he observed. "Cleverly hidden in the various bits and ends that make of the ring of the gas giant. How very stealthy of you."

"We built it from a larger than usual bit of space rock we hollow out and placed in orbit among the other debris," Haverson elaborated. "It was the size of a small building so putting a station in there was easy. It is unmanned, its purpose to act as part of our early warning system and intercept enemy comm-traffic to coordinate defenses."

"And you didn't turn it off when you left?" Zek asked jokingly. "Very irresponsible. Think of the power bill."

Haverson audibly groaned.

"Solar energy panels, carefully disguised as ice formations," he informed the pirate. "We designed it to be autonomous. That's the point. Even if we wanted to shut it off, the option became untenable once Reach's final fall began in earnest. There was no time to initiate a shutdown code or standby mode. It has been working overtime since we left the system."

"And you want all he juicy information it has no doubt been gathering from the Covenant since then," Retz reasoned. "Fleet movements, weapon deployment, future operations, supply chains, everything you can use to hurt them."

"As you and Taq have mentioned before, knowledge is valuable," Haverson reminded him.

"So why haven't you started downloading it already?" Zek asked, suspecting already what this was leading to.

"Failsafe installed concerning long term Winter Contingency plans," Haverson explained. "The system has to receive special codes every few hours in order to keep all processes open for transmission. If it doesn't get those codes the system locks every external connection out. Protecting itself from discovery, its findings stolen, or classified UNSC intelligence from being downloaded offsite. If we want the intel it has uncovered, we need to get onto the station and download everything off the servers manually."

Zek just sighed, he knew where this was going and it was already annoying him.

"You want us to do your grunt work then, is that it?" He asked knowingly. "Your stupid system locked you out and now we gotta play tech support."

"Please, don't be ridiculous," Haverson laughed. "I'm not going to let you aboard any ONI Surveillance Station for data recovery. Not alone anyway. The ODST squad I'm sending in are going to handle getting the intel. I want you to support their efforts."

Zek was confused by the request.

"Support? What do you mean support?" He questioned.

"I think he means he wants our ship in close range to keep an eye out for Covenant patrols," Retz answered. "As well as some ground units aboard the station itself as extra manpower."

"Astute as always, Retz," Haverson confirmed. "Sending the ODSTs in alone is too dangerous a prospect. A dozen things could go wrong and they'd need assistance. Besides, they're not as familiar with the Engineer they'll be taking along. We could use some people who know how their species functions concerning data collection and transfer."

Zek cocked his brow suspiciously.

"What happened to you don't trust the gas bags with sensitive intelligence?" Zek asked.

"Well over time it has become fairly clear the Engineers aren't malevolent or seeking to contact the Covenant," Haverson explained. "They've kept this ship running and this fleet maintained. They're trustworthy."

"And we're not," Zek said, deducing Haverson's tone. "Yet we're support apparently. Forgive me if I feel confused."

Haverson's demeanor turned more smug as he stared own the two pirates.

"Well, don't you want to be trusted?" He asked. "This would go a long way to proving you can be I imagine."

"Oh unggoy shit," Zek said exasperated. "What is your angle, dipshit? You think I'm fucking stupid or something?"

"I don't think you're stupid, Zek," Haverson assured. "If I did I'd be treating you a hell of a lot differently. I wouldn't even be considering this support mission idea in the first place. My feelings towards you are exasperation more than anything."

"It's mutual," Zek declared, crossing his arms. "Now, point please?"

Haverson stood up, leering over the desk as he did.

"You have been using UNSC resources for your own ends for far too long, Zek," Haverson informed him. "Our soldiers are not your muscle for your burgeoning criminal empire. You need to be reminded of that fact. So I'm cashing in one of the many favors you owe us by now."

"Favors? You got something out of every one of those missions we gave you," Zek argued. "Weapons, supplies, a friggin badass ancient artifact!"

"And every time we indulged you, we ended up getting more than what we bargained for and discovering that you had ulterior motives," Haverson reminded him. "Snarlbeak, your Syndicate pals, those damn crawlers, what happened to Tali. Oh, and most recently those space whales of yours. You're lucky Shepard even convinced me into accepting them."

"You can't put what happened to Ms. Zorah on us," Zek tried to argue.

"It was the result of us going after your relic," Haverson informed him. "Indirect as it may be, I still count it as a consequence of this partnership. And I still wonder if you did not benefit more than you claim to have from that little raid you made us go on at that Plasma Weapon facility."

Zek remained silent, and resolute. He did not want to take the risk of tipping his hand or looking suspicious. The last thing he needed was Haverson getting suspicious about their little sugar side project that was still working out its kinks. So he kept his beak shut, while Haverson kept ranting.

"The fact is, you owe us a few missions, Zek," Haverson explained rather bluntly. "You've had your fun making us act as your muscle, now you can play for us in kind. All you have to do is play backup for the ODSTs, make sure their mission succeeds, play by our rules for once. Is that so hard?"

Zek scoffed at the ONI agent. This human honestly thought he could be badgered and guilt tripped into doing his stupid spy work? Screw that and screw him. He didn't owe him nothing as far as he was concerned.

"Thing is, you guys wouldn't be alive if it weren't for me and you wouldn't have this cool Carrier if I hadn't convinced you to take it," he claimed. "I helped you get off Halo, so I feel that you owe me more before you can start claiming otherwise. Like, one favor for every human life I've saved."

Zek looked to Retz for his resolute support, but when he saw his friend's face, one of abject concern, he realized too late he was overplaying his hand. True to Retz's fears, Haverson looked very displeased at the moment.

"You are under the mistaken belief right now that I feel grateful to you, Zek," Haverson explained. "I supported the alliance because it was the most expedient means to survive. Not because yours and Varvok's offer was seen as some kind of godsend. I saw it as an opportunity to save the most lives possible and I took it. I would think you kig-yar would appreciate that kind of initiative."

"I don't really feel all that appreciated," Zek claimed. "Your boys aren't much more gracious than yourself."

"Like I said, placing them into harm's way constantly for your own ends erodes a level of trust in most," Haverson claimed. "You've been doing that since this alliance was formed."

"That does not mean I owe you anything in return," Zek claimed. "You still profitted from those ventures. You still got something out of it, at my expense. So why should I bother to put my ass on the line for something you clearly don't need me for. The ODSTs can handle this shit on their own."

"You have to admit, Haverson," Retz intercut. "You have more than enough of Drop Troopers to fill this mission's quota. More importantly, the Normandy can be of better service in providing support than the Serpent. Especially among those rings."

"The Normandy doesn't have to prove anything to me," Haverson stated. "I trust Shepard, even if we don't always agree on every little thing. He's pulled his weight around here. What have you done since helping us get off Halo save for putting us in danger because of your ambitions?"

"The relics?" Zek argued. "Stealing superweapons from Covies?"

"Something Taq technically brought us and was a byproduct of getting your pal Snarlbeak on our tails," Haverson stated once more. "I'm not going to belabor the point more, Zek. My mission needs a support team and I chose you despite everything. You should feel honored to a degree."

"Well I don't," Zek declared. "My boys don't play nursemaid to your xenophobic shock troops and we don't go on missions just because you say we owe you one. I'm not your soldier, Haverson. You can't make me do shit."

It all came down to principle in the end. Haverson had been a pain in the ass from day one of this thing. Maybe he did owe Shepard a favor. Maybe he even owed Holland. But Haverson? No way. He was not going to fold to this asshole just because he felt entitled to bark orders at him. They were done with that and he'd be damned if he was going to let this sangheili in naked ape clothing tell him what to do.

That was when the asshole dropped his endgame.

"Then you won't profit from the mission then," the Lieutenant stated simply.

Zek perched a brow in bewilderment.

"What profit?" Zek asked. "There's no profit here."

"Not that you know of yet," Haverson informed him. "But when we get our intel, we're going to have a flood of Covie secrets on our hands. As Retz mentioned. Weapons stores, fleet movements, convoys and shipping routes, all valuable things for a space pirate to have I imagine."

Zek narrowed his gaze in contempt.

"And you'll be more inclined to share if I help then?" Zek asked.

"Well I wouldn't really be under much obligation to give you anything if you didn't help," Haverson stated, sitting back down rather nonchalantly. "I mean, isn't that part of the Pirate code or something? My plunder is mine alone, my spoils my own. You don't get anything if you don't work for it."

Zek felt incensed. This guy, of all people, was using his own damn Pirate code against him? Seriously? The fuck gave him any right to make that bullshit claim? What the fuck gave him any belief he was allowed to appropriate their way of life and use it to his own ends? It pissed him off more than anything he could imagine. It was only through Retz did he manage to calm himself, as his friend pulled him aside for a small conference.

"Sir, we can't pass up a chance like this," he informed him. "It's too much potential windfall down the line. The crew would be pissed if they found out we rejected profit like this."

"And they'd be happy to have to work for this asshole to get it?" Zek growled.

"Even if we find nothing, this is not a good way to start a relationship with a client like the UNSC," Retz informed him. "We discussed this before, we'd have to do jobs for them at some point to build a relationship."

"I wanted it to be on our terms," Zek claimed. "This goes against every smart business plan in existence."

"You can't always expect to be on top in negotiations," Retz reminded him. "We take the hit to our pride for now, use what we can later."

Zek sighed, he knew his friend was right. Ignoring a chance at future profit would make him an unfit shipmaster. He had to go along with the offer, if only to do as Retz said. They needed to give the UNSC a reason to trust them, even if it was with stupid grunt work like this.

"Fine, Haverson," he relented, turning back to the Lieutenant. "We'll play your little nursemaid game."

"I thought you might," Haverson acknowledged. "I'm glad we could come to an agreement. Acting Captain McKay will be running the OP. I suggest you clear more of the mission details with her before departing."

"Whatever," Zek stated, refusing to salute. "You better come through with some good data for this."

"Don't worry, Zek, we'll all profit from this," Haverson assured as the two Jackals left, sounding immensely pleased with himself. "And in end, isn't profit all that matters to you anyway?"

Zek left, sheething anger boiling in his eyes. He was stuck in another stupid contract with the scant possibility he'd get something out of it. Of all people to come with a mission of their own, of all the humans aboard this ship he'd have taken a contract from, why did it have to be Haverson? Already the prospect of this mission made him want to throw up in disgust. It was almost like being back under the thumb of the Covenant. Worse still though, he had replaced the theocrats for a damn bureaucrat. At the moment, he couldn't honestly say which one he felt was worse.

---

Shepard's team had already assembled aboard the Phantom, preparing for departure, when Chief and the Spartans arrived. Shepard himself was on his omni-tool, talking, from the sound of it, to Tali. Given she was the only other expert in Forerunner tech around, it should've been a surprise she wasn't taking part in the mission. Of course, it was understandable why.

"I wish I could go down there," she told Shepard. "Considering Reach is where I got familiar with Forerunner tech in the first place..."

"I don't want you getting close to another one of these relics until we're sure it's safe this time," Shepard told her. "Besides, after what you went through, you need some time to recover."

"Just keep the channel open for me," she said. "If you find anything down there, anything at all, I can help you and Taq with it from here."

"I promise, we find anything and we'll conference you in with Taq directly," Shepard replied. "You rest for now, alright? I'll be back before you know it."

Tali just nodded and the two ended their call. Shepard then turned to face the Master Chief as he and the other Spartans walked up to the Phantom proper. They were all armed for covert ops, Linda and Chief specifically seemed to be carrying more ammo on their person than usual. Shepard was smart enough not to ask why, he already knew. It wasn't for them.

"EDI has already located a landing zone," he informed the Spartan leader. "As far as she can tell, there are very few Covenant patrols and the foliage provides a good amount of concealment. Perfect for covert insertion."

"Good, the fewer Covenant that know we're down there, the more time we'll have from the onset," Chief acknowledged. "Everyone ready to go?"

Shepard turned, looking at one of his team, the Grunt. The krogan was eyeing the Phantom with a grimace.

"I still don't get why we're using this thing and not the Normandy," he said gruffly. "We could just sneak in that way."

"Our stealth systems don't cloak the ship and with a lot of Covenant air traffic in the area, I don't want to risk it being seen," Shepard explained. "Same thing with the shuttle. With the Phantom, we're just one of their friends out for an excursion to the surface."

Grunt seemed to accept that, but Chief could tell he wasn't okay with everything else.

"Still not a fan of sneaking," he grumbled.

"If it's any consolation, chances are there will be a firefight before this is all over," Zaeed stated, making his presence known. He walked up behind the krogan, brushing his shoulder slightly as he moved into the Phantom proper. "All those Covenant down there means sooner or later the bastards are going to spot us."

"Lets make sure it's later," Shepard forewarned.

Zaeed just nodded as he entered the Phantom.

"Well come on then," he shouted back. "That little patch of land down there won't remain green forever."

Chief just nodded in agreement and boarded the Phantom proper. It was time to head back to Reach and uncover the truth. No matter how terrible it would turn out to be.

Kat kept the Phantom steady as it passed the initial Covenant perimeter. If she felt at all concerned or uneasy about the situation, she did not show it. She kept staring straight ahead, even when a few space-flight variant Banshees flew past them. She simply course corrected slightly to make sure they didn't obstruct them in any way. Chief remained behind her pilot's chair, not leering over her, but waiting for Cortana's report on how they were doing. It didn't take much longer for the AI to pop back up on the dash.

"Okay, looks like they bought the cover story," she informed them. "Simple supply run to some of the squads on the surface, no need for escort and signal code was accepted. We're good to land."

Chief just nodded and looked to Kat.

"Take us in, Noble Two," he told her. "The more distance between us and the fleet, the better."

"Aye, aye, sir," Kat replied, adjusting the controls.

Their flight pattern soon took them into the atmosphere, what was left of it anyway on the otherwise burned out rock. They emerged from the cloud cover to see a glassed landscape below, small fires raging along the scorched rock. Dried out lakes, blackened mountain tops, devastated forest and grassland. Everything was gone. Linda stared out the window as the Phantom sped along. Chief didn't need her to take off her helmet to know what was happening behind it. He felt the same.

Reach, regardless of what it was for so many people, a planet, a fortress or a colony, to a Spartan II... it was home. Jorge had always felt the closest to it, coming from the planet originally, but if you asked any other Spartan from his group, they would feel the same.

For most of their childhoods, what little could be counted as such, Reach had been where they grew up. Where they had formed their family, the only family they had left. None of them would've survived had they not learned to come together as such. Not related by blood, but by experience, by the strength of the bond between them. Reach, although in many ways their prison, was where they had forged that bond. Where they had become something more than what the labcoats and drill sergeants said they were. Where else did one create their family than a home? Reach was theirs.

Now it was a cinder. Chief walked up behind Linda, placing a hand on her shoulder. He didn't ask anything, he didn't have to. Linda answered for him.

"I don't even recognize it anymore," she said.

"I know," he said, sharing her disgust.

There was a brief silence as they both looked.

"We'll find them, John," she told him at last. "Whatever that entails, we'll find them."

Chief just nodded, looking back towards Shepard as he approached the two Spartans.

"EDI is still training the long range sensors on unglassed area," he reported. "We haven't picked up any human lifesigns, but she says if they're in those tunnels they could be too deep to pick up anything."

"I know my team, Shepard," Chief answered in the affirmative. "We can find them. Knowing Kelly, she'll have at least have left a trail of some kind and Fred would stick close to her no matter what. Same with the others."

"You know them better than I do," Shepard said astutely. "You don't need to worry about proving they're alive to me. So long as you think there's a chance, then they're down there somewhere."

Chief appreciated the support, but his usual training was still active. His feelings were present, but they weren't conflicted. He knew what they needed to do first if they had any hope of finding his team.

"We should head into the tunnels as fast possible when we land," he suggested. "Everything we know suggests that is where the relic would be along with any survivors. Finding an entrance is paramount to this entire operation's success."

"As far as I'm concerned, this is your OP, Master Chief," Shepard informed him. "Take the lead, we'll hang back with Taq and back you up."

Chief concurred with a solemn nod of the head and a silent thanks alongside it. He knew Shepard trusted him to not let his vision be clouded, the mission still came first. It was heartening, however, to know that the Commander still wanted him to succeed with his personal reason for coming back here. He had an ally in that endeavor, beyond just Linda and perhaps Kat and Jun. Knowing a someone outside the Spartan ranks understood his reasoning was comforting, for whatever it was worth.

Soon enough, the burnt out blackened earth gave way to a small sea of green, as they arrived over the untouched landscape the Covenant had spared for now. Kat flew in towards a small clump of forest near the rocky cliffs. It was the closest they could get to an entrance to the tunnels without being spotted. Once the Phantom had landed, the party exited the craft and formed a perimeter around the landing zone.

Taq had Shepard follow her out, the Relic from the Dauntless in her talons, her eyes glued to its eerie glow. It seemed to fluctuate as she moved it around, sensing the immediate area around them. Eventually it resonated stronger in one area than another, working like a sort of compass, but not one that pointed North. It pointed to more treasure.

"We got a signal," she informed the team. "It's still here. At the very least, the Covenant haven't been able to get it off world."

"Then we still have a chance to snatch it right out from under them," Shepard reasoned. "You're on point, Chief, lead the way."

Chief nodded, as Cortana popped up on his omni-tool.

"Scans of the planet's topography places a possible entrance into the tunnel system several clicks due Northeast of our current position."

"We find a hole and we jump in," Chief reasoned. "Let's move."

Chief led the team towards the edge of the thicket, placing them a stone's throw away from the cliffs. There was a path leading up into the rocks. No one else was around, but Chief wanted to be certain.

"Linda, Jun, fan out to opposite corners of the thicket," he ordered. "Stay in cover and watch for movement. It's open ground there leading up to the cliffs and we're going to be exposed. We need to move fast and efficiently. Kat, stay with me, we'll move up first."

"We'll wait with Taq for your signal, Chief," Shepard informed him.

Chief just nodded and the Spartans went to work. Linda and Jun fanned out to either side of the thicket. Their scopes would be able to see further than most anyone else. It didn't take long for them to report back over the radio.

"Chief, we have incoming," Linda warned. "Spectre vehicle, four elites, one on the turret. Standard patrol it seems."

"Single squad up on the cliffs on my end," Jun reported. "Three grunts, one Elite. Further away but moving towards our path. Upper section, among the rocks."

"Linda, can you see them?" Chief asked.

It took a moment before he got a response.

"I have them, but I'll need to get a better vantage point," she claimed. "If I can get up on one of these trees..."

"Do it," Chief told her. "This is going to require precision. Cortana?"

"I've already jammed short range communications," the AI assured. "It'll take some time for either group to call anyone. Hit them quickly though, it won't last last long once they realize it."

"Got it," Chief acknowledged. "Shepard, if you and your team can cover me and Kat, we can handle the Spectre and its crew."

"We'll move into flanking position," Shepard said. "Wait for your go."

Shepard moved a little up into and ambush position, not too far from Chief and Kat. By now, they could hear the Spectre moving closer, the whir of its hover pads clear in their ears. It wasn't long before they could see it, the sharp pointed tip of the driver's cockpit unmistakable along with the plasma turret on its back. The gunner swept along the edge of the trees before returning to stand by position. It was just their luck that the vehicle stop practically in front of them.

"I was really hoping they'd move on," Kat said.

"No one is that lucky," he told her, reaching down to his ammo belt. "But it actually makes this easier."

As the Elites piled out of the Spectre, the gunner remaining on the turret, Chief pulled out a plasma grenade. He had pulled a few from the stock aboard the Justice just before them came down.

"I throw this at the gunner and all hell breaks loose," he informed Kat. "Be ready move."

"Copy," Kat answered, readying her pistol.

The Elites milled about, speaking to one another as they seemed to fan out along the area, creating a perimeter of sorts. Chief kept waiting, it wasn't time to move yet.

"Chief, I got eyes on the squad up in the cliffs," Linda reported in. "Clear headshot on the Elite leader. Should scatter the little guys once he drops."

"You and Jun concentrate on them once the shooting starts," Chief ordered. "We'll handle the Elites down here."

Chief waited another moment more before acting, anticipating the right time. When the gunner turned the turret slight away from them, he activated the plasma grenade. He arched the explosive towards the gunner, the flaming blue ball fell towards it. It landed on the edge of the turret and stuck there, the gunner gazing at it in a second of disbelief before it exploded. The gunner was ejected from the seat of his weapon, flying into the nearby rock wall. His squad turned to see what had happened and that was when Chief rushed in.

Firing his assault rifle like mad, he charged the nearest Elite, peppering his shield. The alien rolled back and pointed his plasma rifle at the Spartan, only to receive a blow to the face from the butt of the rifle. It hit in exactly the right spot to topple the eight foot creature and throw him on his back, where Chief plugged the rest of his rounds into the Covie.

He didn't worry too much about the other two Elites, as Shepard's team had already opened up on them. Assault Rifle rounds struck them, forcing them to fall back into whatever cover they could find as they returned fire. Their plasma shots cut through the thicket, burning the leaves scorching bark. Shepard and his team remained hunkered down all the same, presenting as small a target as possible as they continued to pour on the fire.

Kat used the opportunity to get in close and slugged one of the Elites in the jaw with her robotic arm. She had pre-charged it with an electrical burst that shorted out the Elite's shield, but it did not deter the alien. He swung at her with his plasma rifle, missing, but followed it up with a kick to push her back He then pointed the Plasma Rifle at close range, but Kat pushed the gun away from her as he attempted to fire. The bolt went off harmlessly into the ground. Kat then gut checked the Covie with her robotic arm, smashed the butt of her pistol into the side of the Elite's head and then fired off two rounds point blank into him. One in the heart, another in his face.

Chief turned from his first target to his second now, but the Elite was already targeting him. The Spartan dove and rolled to the side as plasma bolts trailed after him. He let loose a burst from his assault rifle, hitting the Elite's armor hard. But it was another alien who swung the odds in his favor. Running at full tilt, Grunt charged in like a mad bull and headbutted the Elite in the gut. The Covie flew back into his Spectre, hitting the hood.

Even that wasn't enough to kill him though. He was soon back on his feet, firing on both Chief and Grunt, but the Spartan had him dead to rights. He clutched down hard on the trigger and advanced ahead of the Elite's shots, letting his shields absorb the direct fire. The Elite's shields dropped first though, swiftly followed by several bullets to the alien's head.

As the Elite's back slid down the side of his vehicle though, Chief's eyes turned to the gunner's seat at the turret began to move. The Elite he had hit with the grenade was still alive and had limped back to the turret, he was now training his sights on the Spartan. Chief moved to fire, but he positioned himself to dive in front of the Spectre. That was when a Sniper shot rang out and the Elite fell dead against his weapon.

"Got your back, Chief," Linda reported over the comm. "Always."

"Never think otherwise," he assured her. "The other squad?"

"Down," Linda answered bluntly. "Jun took care of a few stragglers I let him have."

"Is that what we're calling it?" Jun asked playfully.

"Good work you two," Chief told them. "Circle back to us, we need to move up the path to the cliffs."

Shepard soon joined Grunt, along with Zaeed and Taq, in front of the Spectre with Chief. Kat moved up with them once she secured the area.

"I hope they're not all that quick," Grunt claimed. "Not much of a fight otherwise."

"We'd be so lucky," Taq stated, holding the Amplifier Relic tightly as it shone profusely. "The less distractions the better in my mind. The signal is definitely clearer the closer to these rocks we get. It has to be in the tunnels."

"Then we go up and under," Shepard said, as Linda and Jun arrived. "Lead on, Chief."

They started up the path. So far the mission was going well, as well as it could. Those dead patrols would be reported missing in due time. When that happened, the Covenant would know something was up. They needed to move quickly if they wanted to find the Relic before Grunt got his wish. And before they lost any chance to search for the others.

---

Zek had never made it a secret that he didn't like the ODSTs. Not once. He treated the Marines with indifference, Holland's Soldiers with apathy, the Spartans with a sense of reverence if only because they blew things up most efficiently. The ODSTs he did not like. Partially because they gave his people the most grief, but there was more to it. It was how they carried themselves, so full of it. Like they were the top tier lords of the mountain, better than you and everyone else.

They reminded him of sangheili, them and their whole stupid warrior cult. They were stronger, tougher, had better guns and they knew it. So they held that over you like it made them superior. That alone seemed to make them think they had license to to boss everyone else around, including kig-yar. Every single time he had been forced to work with them, they made a point of telling you how much they despised you. Made a point about how kig-yar were sneaky, how you were a greedy pirate, an opportunistic mercenary, a filthy ugly selfish mangy bird thing. As if being that was somehow an insult. Ha, Zek thought, it was to laugh.

And maybe he wouldn't have hated them so much, tolerated their attitudes, accepted their commonalities with the sangheili, if they just once showed some damn gratitude. Just once if they said, 'Thanks Mr. Pirate, Sir, for saving our useless naked ape asses from exploding!' Then maybe he wouldn't be so against working with them.

Instead, just like Haverson, they all had a collective chip on their shoulder. Even the ones who apparently had not mutined and remained loyal to Holland, they still were a bunch of assholes because they still made it a point to remind you how you were scum in some subtle way. And all because he was kig-yar, because he used to work for the Covenant and possibly because they resented the fact they needed him.

Needless to say, he had not enjoyed the ride in the Phantom at all as they approached the unmanned ONI Station. He spent most of it glaring with the ODSTs who had their helmets off. Or... was it him answering their glares of disdain with his own? He couldn't be sure who started doing it first, it just seemed like it was the natural first response. If nothing else, at least it proved the Drop Troopers were equally as miserable and pissed off over this arrangement as he was.

He didn't care to learn their names, although they probably had it printed somewhere on their uniforms. Zek just mentally checked their faces and came up with his own things to call them. The one across from him chewing on something or other was Ape Mule, as he heard that the latter was an Earth animal that chewed a lot. Ape Mule was clearly waiting for an excuse to spit on him, Zek decided he'd deal with that when it happened. There was another naked monkey next to him, whom he called Monkey Fuck, which is what he imagined was what had led to his conception. The guy was gripping at his pistol, trying to make sure Zek saw it as he loaded the magazine with rounds. Yes, you have a gun, everyone does. You're not special, humie. And then there was Dipshit, just Dipshit, cause he looked like one and couldn't help but give every Jackal the murder glare. When he figured out his rank, Zek planned to promote him to Corporal or Lieutenant Dipshit.

The only face Zek cared to memorize and not give a bad name to, was McKay. She had Captain stripes on her helmet for one, so she was hard to miss. Besides, it was only right not to lump her in with the rest of the idiots on her crew. At least she seemed to not treat his fellow kig-yar like they were still shooting each other. He doubted that meant she liked them, but she was willing to work with him. From the second he got on the Phantom she had made that clear.

"I have my orders," she had explained to him. "Get to the station, find our data, get out. Your mission is to support us in that objective. As long as you do that, we'll get along just fine."

Finally, a human that understood at least in some manner how business was supposed to be conducted. No one had to like each other, but that didn't mean you had to make the deal transaction more difficult than it needed to be. That was enough to at least earn McKay some respect from him. Now if only she could drill that concept into the dregs that followed her.

At long last, Ape Mule finally spat up whatever was in his mouth onto the floor near Zek's foot. He could feel the grease and grime of the chewed up crap from the human's mouth spilling over his boot. Zek just looked to the Neanderthal in kind, barely showing any kind of expression.

"I'm going to assume you meant to spit that somewhere else," he explained. "Otherwise, you humans have some rather poor manners."

Ape Mule just grinned.

"Thought you birds liked smelling like shit," he chuckled derisively.

"Depends on the kind of shit," Zek replied. "I'm not fond of odors of the primate variety. Too full of itself, literally, from all the centuries of inbreeding I imagine."

Ape Mule didn't take kindly to that at all given his look.

"You know," he said venomously. "Back where I'm from, we eat things that look like you on a regular basis. Sometimes deep fried even. So, you know, best watch what you say around us dumb primates, lest we get hungry."

"If it's any consolation then, you'll be happy to know I have no interest in eating you," Zek shot back. "I wouldn't want to digest something so clearly mutated beyond recognition. It's the only explanation for how you specific monkeys turned out so ugly. Likely from bathing in your own putrid shit and vomit since you crawled out of whatever mud pit that spawned you."

Ape Mule would've probably retaliated, had McKay not spoken up.

"Enough," she ordered, standing near the entrance to the cockpit. "None of us have time for any petty bickering. We're on the clock, stow the racial insults."

"Just some friendly jabs, ma'am," Ape Mule claimed insincerely. "That's all."

"Yeah, whatever," Zek snorted, deciding the idiot was ultimately not worth the effort.

With things successfully defused, McKay returned to her monitoring their progress. With any luck, it wouldn't be much longer before they docked with the station. Zek would still have tolerate the Drop Troopers, but at least he could put more than an arm's length of distance between himself and them. As he looked around, he could see his people doing their best to ignore the antagonization of the ODSTs. Some were not successful and were returning the glares with their own. Others just blocked it out by playing BBR in their comms loud enough that even Zek could hear it.

Retz, who was sitting beside him, didn't seem at all drawn in by anything the ODSTs did. Retz was above the petty squabbling, always had been. He just wanted to get the job done, like Zek did. The ODSTs continuing to hate him was not a concern, getting them off their high horse and be more trusting was. Otherwise, they'd never get this business venture off the ground.

"Think we should've asked Varvok to join us on this escapade?" Retz asked him.

"Nah, he and his men are on the Serpent," Zek assured. "It's close enough that if something happens, we can get him over there quickly. No sense in forcing him into this stupid mess. We're just playing support here, it would be overkill."

"Good idea to keep them on standby though," McKay chimed in. "With the Covenant swarming all over this system, who knows what could happen when we get inside the station."

"This is already overkill either way, ma'am," Dipshit claimed. "We're recovering data from our own servers and everything suggests the Covenant haven't found this place yet. It's a milk run, not worth this many squads... or back up."

Dipshit said that while eyeing Zek unflattering, but McKay made sure to end that quick.

"Sergeant Lendon, we've be over this," she stated. "The possible critical nature of the data uncovered by this unmanned station could be vital to the war effort. We are not leaving anything to chance. Haverson believes as much and I agree with him."

Zek finally had a proper rank for the guy now, Sergeant Dipshit. Had a nice ring to it. That was just a nice bonus though, seeing him cowed properly was the real treat. It didn't last very long though, as the lights in the Phantom changed to signal they were in sight of the objective.

"McKay to Cockpit, what do we got?" The Captain requested.

"Closing in on the station now, ma'am," the pilots reported. "Uh, but we might have an issue. Come on up."

McKay climbed up into the cockpit. Not being one to be left out, Zek followed. Retz was close behind. When they emerged in the cockpit, they both clambered over to the front window and took a look outside, peering over the seats. They could see floating icy asteroid ahead of them, near indistinguishable amongst the rest of the space debris that made up the planet's ring. Save for the clear bits of man-made structure sticking out of portions of it. Specifically an outdoor landing bay near an airlock embedded in the rock. Easier to spot currently perhaps because there was a shuttle of some kind resting there.

"Looks like some kind of ONI Prowler or something, Captain," the pilot claimed.

"So, what, your people are already there and doing our job for us?" Zek asked, a bit annoyed.

"Don't know," McKay replied, equally suspicious of the unexpected shuttle. "I'd imagine they'd have sent a distress signal on one of our secure channels. Haverson would've known if they did and he wouldn't have bothered giving us an Engineer for this mission if there were ONI operators on site already."

"Hmm, I agree," Retz concurred. "Haverson is many things, but he's not redundant. He would've told us about this being a rescue mission if he knew. There's no reason I can think of to hide this from us."

McKay thought for a moment, but her duty won out over caution for the most part.

"Take us in but stay alert," she told the pilots. "I'll tell the men to ready weapons and watch their corners. There is something about this I do not like and I'm not taking chances."

The Phantom came in for a landing right beside the Prowler. Very soon, every ODST squad was deployed, alongside Zek's kig-yar. The Huragok that Haverson had given McKay for the duration of the OP. The purple glowing gasbag floated beside McKay as they left the Phantom, mindful of its surroundings. It stretched its neck about, taking in the asteroid, remaining at McKay's side at all times. When the ODST Leader reached the airlock, she attempted to input the code she had been given to let them inside.

Her access was denied.

"The hell? Haverson's code didn't work," she reported.

"Now I really don't like this," Retz stated. "We should have the Huragok crack it then. Fastest way forward."

"My thoughts exactly," McKay agreed, looking to the Huragok. "Engineer, get us in."

The Huragok just nodded and forced its tentacles into the electronic locking mechanism. After a few short seconds of interfacing, the airlock decompressed and opened wide. The squads moved in, taking up positions by the door. However, once they got into the station proper, they found no one waiting for them inside. On one hand, good to know they hadn't walked right into a waiting gunfight. On the other, it did nothing to alleviate concerns.

"Okay, I have no idea if there really are people here or not," McKay admitted. "But ONI lockdown override codes do not change themselves and if there were ONI agents expecting us they'd be here to greet us. At the very least they would've initiated first contact over the comms once they realized we weren't Covenant. I'm sure there's a few cameras monitoring this pad."

"What do we do, ma'am?" One of the troopers asked.

"We stick to the plan," McKay informed him. "We fan out, secure the area, get the data, get out. Zek, position your teams for support roles and watch our flanks. If there is someone here, we need to be ready."

"Cool, I can work with that," Zek stated. "Potentially ambush the potential ambushers, sounds fun."

The squads began to fan out, Zek and Retz opted to stay close to McKay's group. He instructed his men to leave their suits on as they scoured the halls. If someone was here, and the shooting did start, it didn't hurt to have some extra armor, right?

The halls of the station weren't as bright as expected. Even with the station constantly powered by solar energy, a number of lights seemed to be off or busted. Maybe it was lack of maintenance, maybe the bulbs had just burnt out or there was a problem with the solar cells. Zek wasn't so sure that was the case.

Zek activated his helmet's extrasensory mode, allowing him to see better in the low light environment. It also could pick up some faint electronic signals, allowing you see something you couldn't with your naked eye. He had the same function on his scoped viewfinder he wore for sniping. At the moment, he just wanted to keep himself from stubbing his toe. Not longer after he turned it on, he was glad he did.

He reacted quickly, rushing up in front of McKay and blocking her off by activating his defense gauntlet, bringing up his shield instantly. McKay looked annoyed and confused at the same time, she quickly relented when she saw what he had randomly spotted just by sheer luck once the pirated pointed it out. Attached to the wall, just behind a small nook, was thermal-laser tripwire mine.

"I only spotted the laser when it got revealed through my extrasensory mode," he explained.

"Good eye all the same," McKay confirmed, getting a better look at the device. "Looks like some top tier hardware. I defused these back in basic."

McKay knelt down next to the mine, much to everyone's surprise.

"Ma'am," one trooper cautioned.

"Relax, I got this," McKay promised.

She opened the side of the mine, revealing a small numerical pad within. She typed in a code after a few brief seconds and the mine disarmed in an instant. She then carefully pulled it off the wall and handed it to a subordinate.

"They're designed to allow for easy retrieval," McKay explained. "You don't want to risk leaving these things live if the enemy hasn't tripped them after the shooting stops."

"How'd you know which numbers to push?" Zek asked.

"Serial number on the side is a give away to its shutdown code," she explained simply. "I memorized them by heart back in training, just in case. Real question is, what's it doing on a wall in an unmanned ONI station?"

"Doesn't sound like an efficient defense plan," Retz concurred. "I would imagine there are more though."

McKay nodded and activated her comm.

"Troopers, turn on your VISRs and set range finding for infrared spectrum," she ordered. "Watch your feet, there may be trip mines. Remember your training, put anyone with explosives experience on standby to disarm."

With any luck the Drop Troopers would sniff out the mines before anything exploded. That did not solve the whole problem though.

"Someone is here, someone with some nasty toys who doesn't want us around," Zek stated.

"That's a given," McKay agreed. "And part of me thinks they're not ONI or Covenant. The latter wouldn't use our mines and the former would've thought to shave off those serial numbers if they really wanted us to get killed by those things."

"Who else could it be if not them?" Retz asked.

Zek could see McKay had an answer, the look on her face was contemplative but firm. She knew something, but she said nothing.

"We keep moving," she stated. "The main system server should be this way. Zek, keep an eye out for more mines, would you?"

"Sure, not in the mood to get blown up myself," Zek agreed.

Zek took point for the moment with Retz, but neither Pirate was particularly enthused by the lack of answers.

"I don't like not knowing what other people are thinking," Zek whispered to Retz. "Especially in times like this."

"I wouldn't worry, Zek," Retz replied. "I don't think we'll be in the dark much longer."

---

Kat had stopped briefly along the cliffside. They were high enough that they could see past the patch of green that had landed on, to the scorched lands beyond. Not that there was much to see beyond black clouds and blacker charred earth. Chief didn't even need to ask why she had stopped to take a look. She hadn't trained here, she didn't live here for most of her childhood, but enough of her squad died here to make it sting. She realized he was behind her before he even said anything.

"Is it wrong that I'm kind of happy Jorge is dead right now?" She asked.

It took a moment for Chief to answer. He wasn't happy any of his Spartans were dead. Every death hurt him more than any bullet or plasma bolt could. Jorge hurt as much as any. Out of everyone, he got out of all of the training, all the augmentations, all the pain, with the fewest scars. Not literal, but mental. He retained the most "innocence" for lack of a better word. He was a good soul, as Kelly once said. He hated not being there for him when he died. He hated only learning so long after his death that he had sacrificed himself. Sacrificed himself for his home, Reach. The planet he thought he had just saved.

If Jorge had been alive to see this, one had to wonder if that would've finally broke him. What no Drill Sergeant or scientist's medical drill accomplished, the Covenant could've managed without even touching him. Reach had always been Jorge's home, even before he was taken. Now it was gone.

"I won't think less of you for it, if that's what you mean," Chief finally told Kat. "He'd... have hated to see this."

"I've been thinking about them all lately," Kat admitted bluntly. "Jorge, Emile, Six... Carter. Doesn't feel real they're gone at times."

"It never does," Chief concurred simply.

Kat was quiet for a moment, feeling her metal arm for a brief second.

"Six stayed behind," she said. "I'd like to think he lasted long enough to make a dent in their ranks. Gave us a few less Elites to deal with on Halo. Small comfort I suppose."

Chief wanted to tell her that Six could also be alive. There was no telling if he was really dead. If any of those with unknown status were gone. He stopped himself though. They wouldn't be here long enough to look everywhere. Even his hope of finding his team alive down here was slim. She had made peace with the fact her people were gone. It was not his place to raise her hopes up like that. Not when they were likely going to be dashed.

"Here's hoping we can get at least some Spartans off this rock," she told him. "That will make this worth something.

"Mission first though," he said, somewhat reluctantly. "We're here for the Relic."

Kat just nodded knowingly and turned away from the cliff, making her way back towards the team.

"We're here for a lot of reasons," she said. "Best get them done."

It was all she needed to say. Chief didn't need to ask her reason, she was here for the same reason he was. Absolution, redemption, the hope of a second chance to get it right. Or to make it right, if they had to.

They had already located the entrance into the caves below, a gaping dark mouth in the side of the cliffs that led into bowels of the now charred planet. The relic in Taq's hands resonated strongly whenever she moved it towards the opening and dimmed as she pulled away.

"It's likely still further in," she admitted to the team, "but it's somewhere inside."

"It's still gonna be a maze in there," Zaeed warned. "How we gonna navigate it all?"

"I'm trying to access ONI files concerning the tunnels they mapped in this area during Castle Base's construction," Cortana explained. "The data seems to have been corrupted somewhat, but enough remains to give us a general idea of the area. I'll do my best to correct or add to it as we go. That way, at least we won't be going around in circles for too long."

"Monitor our progress as we go then," Shepard requested. "Chief, take point, we'll hang back with Taq. Eyes and ears in there people, the Covenant could be patrolling inside the tunnels as well as out here."

The dank underground of the caverns was as expected, musty and dark. With only their lights to guide their way, and Cortana mapping as they went, Chief kept his ears keen to any approaching sound. There wasn't much to look at. A ton of rock formations, some fungus that grew in the dark, he could hear dripping further off down one tunnel. Possibly a source of fresh water. Evidence at the very least that someone, well supplied enough with food and ammunition, could survive down here while the rest of the planet burned.

The only other sound was Taq's Relic, resonating every now and then as they made their way through the underground. Chief eventually blocked it out, it wasn't what was relevant. He needed to be wary of possible hostiles patrolling the caves or wild animals that had come in here to hide or, with any luck...

Suddenly something popped up on his friend or foe tag, not recognized. It could be an animal, but that didn't seem right. He held up a fist to pause the others and they froze. No one spoke, but he ushered Linda to the front. She said nothing, but he motioned his flashlight towards a rock formation ahead of them.

"Cortana, are you reading anything?" He whispered.

"Focused in... transponder located."

She sounded surprised, but not suspicious. She knew as well as Chief did what that meant. He quickly thought back to training, something only they would recognized. He then let out a simple bird call, a memento of a fellow lost comrade, someone they would all remember and only they knew about, an owl's cry.

In moments, someone poked their head out from behind the rock. There, in dented, scuffed and burnt armor, appeared a Spartan. Chief didn't even need to look at his ID number on his breastplate, he could tell just from the helmet who it was. The T-Shaped visor and slight rim gave it away, it was Anton, one of their best scouts.

He had been right, they hadn't all been killed. He looked to Linda, and while no one else could tell, he could see her elation clearly. Anton approached slowly, holding up a finger to his helmet. Chief and Linda did the same.

"Well I'll be," Zaeed could be heard saying softly. "We found one."

Shepard patted Zaeed on the shoulder, signaling him to give Chief a moment. Something he and Linda desperately needed.

"Good to see you, Anton," Chief finally greeted.

"Same," he replied, cautiously sifting his feet a bit. "It is you right? Both you? I haven't gone stir crazy walking around these tunnels?"

"It's us, Anton," Linda assured. "I'd know if I was a hallucination."

"Good," Anton said, a slight laugh in his voice. "I knew you guys hadn't died."

"Spartans never die," Chief reminded him. "How many are left?"

"Can't be sure," Anton admitted. "Everything is a bit of a mess right now. Honestly at this point it's just us waiting for them to finish glassing and then hoping we can send a distress signal. Now that you're here, I'm guessing that means we got other options."

He looked behind Chief and Linda to see the rest of the team, noticing Kat, Jun first, before Shepard's team.

"A lot of options," Anton noted, before spying Grunt and Taq. "Also a dinosaur thing and a... Jackal prisoner?"

Taq huffed in derision. Shepard approached before there was anymore confusion. Chief quickly introduced him.

"Anton, this is Commander Shepard," he explained. "The dinosaur is with him and the Jackal is not Covenant, she's helping us on a critical mission."

"What level of critical?" Anton asked.

"The Covenant are after a potential superweapon here on Reach," Linda clarified. "We need to find it first."

"So pretty critical, gotcha," Anton said nodding.

Shepard saluted Anton, who offered the same.

"Good to meet you, Anton," Shepard told him. "Chief never lost hope there were Spartans still alive. Glad to see it was warranted."

"Feeling is mutual," the battleworn Spartan replied. "This is a bit much to take in, I'll admit, but any friend of Chief's is a friend of mine. That extends to your team. If they can help us get out of this, then they're gold in my book."

Chief quickly made sure to introduce the others Spartans, not wanting to leave them out of this either. They were part of the team too after all.

"Noble Two and Noble Three, Kat and Jun respectively," he quickly stated.

"Third Gens, huh?" Anton reasoned. "I kept hearing rumors about you guys."

"A bunch of it is probably exaggerated," Jun fielded. "But trust me, it's all warranted."

"Here's hoping it's more fact than fiction," Anton told him. "Either way, we need to get moving. Camp is this way, follow me,. You can explain everything there."

Anton led them through the darkness, tracking back deeper into the cave itself. Taq was somewhat displeased when the Relic's resonance dimmed greatly. They were going off mission somewhat, but she only grumbled in anticipation of getting back on track. Chief imagined she wouldn't object to getting some extra hands to help secure the artifact for transport in the end.

"We used to have a set up near the entrance to the tunnel system lower down the cliffs," Anton explained as they went. "The Covies started increasing patrols though, we had to go deeper. We were't sure why they hadn't glassed the area at first, but we figured they'd reconsider if they found us."

"Did you hear anything about them hunting a relic?" Shepard asked.

"We caught some chatter over their net, something about a search for a religious site or whatever," Anton replied. "All it meant to us was that we had time to get somewhere secure before they changed their minds. We've done our best to stay out of sight, small patrols, never take any major risks that might expose us. When I detected your UNSC Transponders on my scans though, I deviated from my patrol to get a look myself."

They rounded the next bend to find a small camp in a large open alcove within the cavern. Two machine gun turrets were guarding the entrance, manned by UNSC Marines, inside the perimeter were a few more, mostly enlisted men. There was barely even a handful of them left. They were in a pitiful state, wounded, tired, hungry. Chief couldn't blame them, he was surprised any of them were alive at this point.

As they entered the assorted disheveled Marines all eyed the newcomers. They spotted Chief and the extra Spartans instantly. If they were elated, Chief couldn't tell. They were in no shape or mood to start cheering. A few faces did seem relieved. Many more looked baffled or surly when they spotted Grunt. The krogan just grimaced in their direction, uncaring as to what they thought. Taq got the worst of the looks, more than a few gripped their guns tighter as she passed. She wasn't currently holding a weapon, but their weariness was there all the same.

"I don't appreciate their hospitality, Commander," she informed Shepard.

"Easy, Taq, they've been through a lot," he tried to calm her.

"No excuse for poor manners," she replied.

Anton finally led them to a table, adorned with a map depicting the tunnel system. A few non-coms were stationed around it, the only officer at the table was a man in a tattered and dirty Naval Uniform. His Vice Admiral rank was easily identifiable via his hat alone. He was also one of the only people in the whole camp with enough energy left to smile. So at least someone had held onto hope, that was encouraging.

"Sierra 117, the Master Chief," he greeted in a thick southern accent, recognizing the Spartan leader instantly. "Well ain't that a kick in the pants? Vice Admiral Whitcomb, at your service, soldier. Welcome to Camp Independence, such as it is."

Chief and the rest of his Spartans saluted as per protocol.

"Good to see you too, sir," Chief replied. "I was hoping to find at least a few survivors."

"Few is a bit of an overstatement at this point," Whitcomb admitted. "But we're breathing still, so I can't complain."

"Admiral Whitcomb was stranded here when his escape shuttle was destroyed," Anton explained. "He rounded up as many survivors as he could and got them to safety beneath Castle Base. I ran into him during the whole mess and assisted best I could."

"Wouldn't expect anything less," Linda observed.

Whitcomb turned to Shepard next, his grin seemingly just as wide as ever.

"And you must be Commander Shepard," he declared. "Well I'll be, they said you traveled with aliens. I didn't expect one of them to be a big ol'crocodile."

Grunt just grumbled in disdain, but Shepard eased him off with a raised palm as he spoke to the Whitcomb.

"Good to meet you, sir," he said saluting. "Surprised you've heard of me."

"Everyone in the central command on Reach heard about the mysterious ship with an integrated human and alien crew," Whitcomb explained. "I was privy to all the knowledge the Joint Chiefs were after all. I didn't expect someone to come to us, let alone either of you two at once. Hopefully this means we can leave sooner than expected."

"We're going to try and get your people out, Admiral, but we have our own mission," Shepard explained. "The Covenant are searching for something on this planet. We need to get it before they do."

Whitcomb just nodded, seemingly expecting that condition. His eyes of course fell on Taq soon after.

"I'm assuming this... Covenant prisoner is part of that?" He asked.

Taq was fed up now, whatever restraint she had vanished as she marched up to the table and forced herself to the front.

"I am an archaeologist who just happens to be a kig-yar, or Jackal, as I keep hearing you humans call me," she snarled. "I am not Covenant and I would appreciate you not calling me that already."

A few of the non-coms had gone for their pistols when Taq approached, but Whitcomb waved them down.

"Relax people, I doubt that the Master Chief would let an alien carry around a gun and a fancy green rock if he didn't have a reason," he informed them, turning back to Taq when he was done. "My sincere apologies, ma'am, but we have been through a hellish predicament most dire. Our nerves are more than a little shot as it were."

Taq rolled her eyes and just placed the Relic on the table. She moved it around until it started to glow more profusely. Thankfully, they hadn't gotten too off track it seemed.

"We're close, but still a ways off," she informed Shepard. "We need to get back on task."

"We will, but these people know more about these tunnels than us right now," Shepard explained. "We could use their help."

"I would be more than happy to assist, Commander, Chief," Whitcomb assured. "But given the circumstances at hand, I suspect something of an explanation is in order first if I am going to be of any use."

Chief quickly clicked on his omni-tool, allowing Cortana to appear on it.

"Admiral, UNSC AI CTN 0452-9, Cortana," she introduced herself. "I think we'd all be more than capable of answering that. But it's a bit of a long story. I suggest you take a seat while I pull up relevant information."

Whitcomb did so, bringing over a small ammo crate. His non-coms did the same, as the debrief began in earnest. There was a lot to catch him up on.

---

This station had looked a lot smaller on the outside. Zek had expected to be at their required server or console by now. Then again, they were forced to waste a lot of time disarming traps within the halls. Whoever was setting up the various mines and improvised explosive traps had a lot of time on their hands and somehow a ton of things that went boom. He'd have to ask about that when they met the jerk or jerks doing this garbage. Assuming they didn't start shooting him, of course.

McKay was finishing securing a grenade trap by replacing the arming pin. Once she had forced it in she handed the grenade to one of her Troopers. She wasn't the only one stuck doing this of course, they kept getting reports about traps strung up everywhere in the halls. The squads were inching forward very carefully, their situational awareness heightened. The fears of an ambush were ever present now.

"That makes four mines, six laser tripwires and three improvised grenade traps now," McKay stated. "And that's just on our end. Whoever is behind this has a lot of experience with this sort of thing."

"Normally I would admire such dedication to a craft," Retz claimed. "Especially one involving such deadly cunning. However, this has become monotonous. How much further?"

"We just have to get through this server room up ahead," McKay explained. "The access console is on the other side. Just be patient, keep your eyes open for anything and we'll get out of this soon. Trust me, you're not the only ones who want out of here fast."

"I don't know," Zek quipped sarcastically. "Change of decor, some nice furniture for a sitting area, reserve a spot for a kitchen, we could settle down make a life for ourselves."

Mckay sighed, not really appreciating the joke all that much. She kept in front as they moved through the next door into the server room. Computing towers dotted the area, along with a number of service catwalks above. There were a lot of twists and turns in here, perfect spot for some more traps. So they pressed forward cautiously. At least until McKay stopped dead in her tracks.

As the ODST leader scanned the area, Zek sensed her trepidation and it added to his own. This was a wider space, more room, tons of nooks and crannies up above them. Sure, traps were a danger, but really, what was a better thing to put in here? What would really catch someone offguard? Zek knew instantly. Just before he spotted the glint.

"DOWN!"

McKay's warning came as she dove into the cover of server tower as a shot rang out. Zek activated his shield gauntlet, just as a bullet missed McKay by inches. It slammed into a yellow wall of plasma, but Zek rushed to cover all the same. The rest of the kig-yar and ODSTs with them did the same, as more bullets came at their position.

"That's a standard issue sniper rifle," McKay stated over the gunfire. "Can anyone see him?"

Zek moved his shield up into the open. A bullet slammed into it and he pulled back into cover.

"Yeah, he's up in the service decks," he reported.

More gunfire was soon added to their sniper rounds flying at them. They weren't coming from the ODSTs returning fire though. Near as Zek could tell, they were from the same general area as the sniper's shots. So there was more than just one guy out there. McKay was the first to return fire, poking her head out to shoot at one of the other gunmen. Zek tried to see what she was firing at, using the telescopic scope he wore to close in on her target. From what he could see, it appeared to be a human in some kind of tattered jumpsuit wearing riot armor. When McKay pulled back into cover, she was well ahead of his questions.

"I knew it," she said with a low snarl. "The traps should've been a dead giveaway. Insurrectionists, at least four of them from the sounds of those Battle Rifles they're using."

"Insurrectionists?" Zek asked, confused.

"They're wearing military prisoner jumpsuits," McKay explained. "They're colored coded with orange stripes. If they were deserters or something else, they'd be a different color. They're Innies, no doubt in my mind."

That explained how she knew, but not who these humans were. Although Zek imagined with a name like Insurrectionists, they were not on good terms with the people running the human government. Zek probably wouldn't have cared about their political position as much though, if they weren't currently shooting at him and the crewmates he had with him.

"Who are these fuckers and what are they doing here?" Zek asked, pressing McKay for more information.

"Terrorists who don't like the UNSC and have betrayed Earth," she answered bluntly. "As for why they're here, best guess is they came from Reach. Probably an ONI detention center. During the invasion and subsequent glassing, they escaped, stole a ton of military grade weapons and supplies, jacked that Prowler we saw outside and somehow made their way here."

"How would they even know where to find a secret unmanned spy station posing as an asteroid?" Zek asked with increasing frustration. "Seriously, the fuck?"

"That's why I said they're probably from an ONI detention center," McKay clarified. "The coordinates must've been on the Prowler they stole. They must've figured this would be a good place to hold up until the Covenant moved on."

"And swipe themselves some tasty intel in the process," Retz readily surmised. "They have initiative, I'll give them that."

McKay did not appreciate the initiative though. In fact, she just looked pissed. Zek took comfort in the fact at least that it wasn't against him or his fellow pirates though. She and her ODSTs began returning fire in earnest, but the Sniper kept them from advancing. McKay got onto her radio in the meantime.

"Second squad, we have hostiles, Innies, Server Room," she reported. "We are pinned down and require assistance."

The voice of the radio was clearly that of Sergeant Dipshit, and he had equally grave news.

"No can do, Captain, there's a squad of them down here in the generator," he reported back. "They got a damn machine gun and are dug in deep. Jackals' are providing some cover, but their shields aren't up to snuff against the bullet hailstorm. They're pinned down too."

Damn, there were more in here than they thought. Probably how they got so many traps set up in such a short amount of time. All of which was likely a delaying tactic, Zek reasoned. It kept them busy while these other humans got set up in their ambush points.

"Just hold on, Lendon," McKay ordered. "Try and find a way to flank that gun, I'll see about sending you some help."

Zek suspected that meant him and Retz. It was what they were here for after all.

"No one is getting anywhere with that Sniper out there," he informed her. "He needs to be dealt with first."

"Agreed," McKay concurred, surprisingly.

Zek had almost been certain she was going to start arguing with him. Not that he was complaining, but still, it was weird to have an ODST, even one that had been as cooperative as McKay, agree with anything he said. Than again, maybe she just really wanted that Sniper dealt with.

"If we can flush him out, can you take him down?" She asked.

Zek pulled the Needler Rifle from off his back and readied it.

"The fucker is already dead," he assured her. "Just get me a shot."

With that, Zek looked to the top of the Server Tower. With a single thrust from his legs, he leapt onto the lip of the tower, clutching it in his claws. Pulling himself up, he crawled along the top, laying in prone position. The catwalk above him made things a tight squeeze with little wiggle room, but it also made him a hard to spot target, especially in all the abject darkness. The same held true for the sniper in the service area above the opposing towers though. The abject darkness of the area made it hard to spot him and Zek could only snarl at the shadows in the moment.

Thankfully, McKay held up her end of the bargain. More so than expected even. The ODST leader rushed out into the open, firing her rifle at the opposing servers and the assorted Innies, before ducking behind another one. The overeager enemy sniper fired back, but his aim was off. McKay was just too fast for him. His shot gave away his position with a smoky trail left in his bullet's wake, leading right back to the sniper's nest.

Quickly. Zek zeroed in on the target. He spotted the shadowy outline of the sniper in the service area, preparing to move to another spot. He didn't give him the chance. Zek fired several needles into the man, striking him around the chest. Three shots later, a glorious cloud of pink fire erupted. The enemy's rifle went flying and the assorted gunmen were left in shock.

"Go! Now! Get to the generators!"

McKay's call was answered. As she returned fire on the enemy with her team, Zek rolled off the top of the server and down to the floor once more. Retz soon joined him, firing his twin Plasma Pistols as a pair of kig-yar covered them with their shields.

"I suggest we move now, sir," Retz told him. "Lest these Insurrectionists find their second wind."

"Move then," he ordered. "Door just over there!"

Zek took his people out of the server room and made headway towards the generators. He didn't waste any time in speeding his team along of course. Not that Zek particularly cared if any of the ODSTs survived this, but the prospect of saving Sergeant Dipshit's ungrateful hide and lording it over him in the future was too delicious an opportunity to ignore.

Besides, it was part of their job being here. Haverson would not be able to claim they didn't live up to their contractual obligations for this mission after this.

---

Whitcomb kept silent for the most part, rarely asking a question to clarify or expand upon a detail. The rest of the time he was attentive, thoughtful and respectful. Even when Taq took over for some specifics only she could fill in, he showed incredible decorum. Although a few insults directed at the Covenant probably helped smooth things over. When everything had been recounted, from Halo's discovery to the extraction of the Amplifier Relic, along with all the problems it had caused, the Admiral finally spoke at length.

"Now that is debriefing for the ages if I ever heard of one," he claimed. "You might all just get vids made of yourselves one day. Assuming it all isn't instantly classified of course upon our return to Earth."

"Right now our concerns revolve around the Relic currently on this planet," Shepard explained. "We're not sure what it can do yet, but given what we've found about the Amplifier, we can't risk the Covenant taking it."

"The sooner it is recovered, the sooner we can get everyone here off planet," Chief added.

Whitcomb seemed agreeable to the terms, standing upright and overlooking the map on the table.

"We've been trying to map the tunnels in order to reach Castle Base," he explained. "We were hoping to fortify up there, maybe even grab us some possible transport off this rock or send a subspace transmission to command. We've made progress, but it's a literal maze down there. Anton is the only person we can realistically spare for any prolonged reconnaissance, so it's been slow going. However, he has encountered a few surprises down there, so to speak."

"Symbols, ruins, partially intact structures and the like," Anton filled in. "All clearly Forerunner in nature. Tunnels are dotted with them. The major concentration of everything I've run across so far is around here."

He pointed towards the map, his finger close to Castle Base itself, a series of tunnels that appeared overlap onto each other.

"It's a major concentration of Covie activity though," he warned. "I wasn't willing to take a risk mapping it further."

"If the Covenant are swarming that section then they've already pinpointed it as a likely area the artifact is in," Taq stated. "We need to head there, see if the Amplifier resonates. If it does then we're more or less golden."

"We're more less in the middle of a hornet's nest," Zaeed warned. "How we getting out of there once we're in?"

"We can climb," Cortana explained.

Using the omni-tool's systems, Cortana overlayed a hologram onto the map of the tunnels. It showed a very detailed layout of the cavern system in a three-dimensional template. A specific area, a large atrium stretching high into the cliffside, was highlighted.

"My topographical scans combined with the information Anton has uncovered during his scouting reveals a shaft leading up towards the top of the cliffs. Combined with ONI's own data, it reveals a potential exit that should put us within Castle Base's perimeter."

"My men can't make that journey in their condition, ma'am," Whitcomb warned. "Especially with all the Covenant about."

"They won't have to," Cortana assured. "There's a secondary way into Castle Base, through these tunnels."

She highlighted a twisting set of caverns leading up through the cliffs towards the ONI facility.

"Assuming I've read this right, and I probably have," Cortana stated firmly. "You'll be able to pass by the lower sections of the base. A simple explosive through a wall here should allow you access into a sub-level storage area once detonated. We can rendezvous there once we've secured the relic."

"And if the Covenant are there, our presence will likely draw any additional patrols away from you," Shepard added. "Making it easier for you to get out in one piece."

Whitcomb nodded agreeably at the strategy. It was probably the best idea he had heard in a long while.

"Alright, this could work," he said, growing in confidence. "No, no, it will work. It has to. Alright, Chief, Shepard, you best take Anton with you. He's done more sorties into that area than anyone else, he knows it better than us."

Chief looked to Anton and nodded, although he suspected his fellow Spartan would've went with him regardless.

"Well, it's a good thing I insisted on bringing climbing gear in any case," Taq stated. "We should be able to zip right up that shaft in no time."

"Assuming the relic is there of course and easily retrievable," Chief informed her. "Either way, we should inform Haverson and Holland immediately. They need to know of our progress and who to expect for extraction."

"I'll try to boost our comms signal," Cortana stated as she searched for a connection. "Being this deep underground could make contact difficult. Especially if we want to keep it from being intercepted."

As Cortana tried to zero in on the Justice to send their status report, the static was broken by something else. Something feint over the line of communication.

"Odd, I'm getting another UNSC signal," she reported. "Its bouncing around like crazy but it's from somewhere in these caves I think. Let me try to get a fix so I can clean it up."

"Could be more Marines," Whitcomb suggested. "Other groups who got lost down here. Then again, it might just be stray beacon they never turned off."

Chief wasn't sure, a belief that became more concrete when the signal became less mangled by static. They could now hear several beeps coming over the line. Short and long spurts, constant and repeating. Shepard knew what it was instantly.

"That's morse code," he recognized. "I remember this from survival training, back in N7. Dots and dashes, the most basic of any distress signal."

"Can you make heads or tails of it?" Taq asked.

"Don't bother, I know what it says," Chief stated bluntly.

He looked briefly to Linda and Anton. Both Spartans nodded in agreement. They recognized it too. The dashes and dots were unmistakable and all too familiar.

"We need to get moving, now." He said firmly.

"What is it, Chief?" Kat asked.

He didn't blame her for not knowing, she wasn't a Spartan II, she wouldn't know what the message meant or why it was important. For that matter no one else here besides him, Linda and Anton. So he clarified.

"There are more Spartans down here," he said. "And they need our help."

That was all anyone needed to hear, as they quickly moved to follow Chief towards the tunnels. As he did, he whispered something to himself. Something that only Cortana, sharing the same headspace as him, could really hear.

"Olly olly oxen free."

---

Zek didn't understand how the humans had gotten this far with their rather outdated power resources. Solar was decent enough as a renewable supply, but plasma just had a more sustainable value. Especially in deep space. Perhaps it was admirable they had managed so well under those circumstances. Of course, given the current exchange of gunfire, there was proof on hand that it had not been without some hiccups.

As he and Retz skulked about the generator room, the other crewmates by their side, they could clearly see the situation. A small squad of so-called Insurrectionists, mostly riflemen behind improvised barricades and one machine gun nest, engaged with Sergeant Dipshit's people. The ODSTs were pinned behind their cover, unable to make any realistic flanking procedures. They returned sporadic fire, but it wasn't enough to dislodge the innies, well dug-in within their position among the generators.

"Lets toss some plasma and waste them already," one of Zek's crew suggested.

"You think the humans wouldn't have done that already?" Retz informed him. "We start chucking grenades in here, among these generators, what happens if it blows one of those up instead? Best case scenario we only lose power and can't access the intel on the servers."

"Worst case we blow up a chunk of this room with us," Zek added. "Either way we defeat the whole purpose of why we came here. We need to do this the old fashioned buccaneer way. Up close and brutal."

Zek pulled out his plasma machete and activated it alongside his shield gauntlet. He then motioned to his team to either side of them. From their position, they could get on the Innies direct flank and behind them, hopefully they'd be too focused on Dipshit to worry about them. Of course, if they were spotted moving in, they could turn that machine gun on them. A kig-yar shield could only last so long under that hail of fire before the force of the constant bullet barrage knocked you down. They were meant for small arms, not heavy weapons. So they needed to be careful.

Retz stood close by, moving swiftly through the generators as they approached the enemy position. They got within spitting distance of the enemy when they stopped. Finally, Zek could get a good look at them. The riot gear seemed to support McKay's theory. The vests had ONI printed on their backs, boldly in white lettering. They were only vests though, so you could see the orange stripes along the jumpsuits, along with the prisoner numbers on the sleeves. Zek was a bit surprised, compared to how Covenant treated their prisoners, it was amazing to see human criminals provided something that at least worked as functioning clothing. Given how McKay spoke of them, you'd think they'd be in rags or naked.

Their protection wouldn't be much against plasma based weaponry though. Those armored vests seemed designed specifically for lead projectiles, not an energy bolt. Still, underdressed for a fight did not mean lacking in firepower. Zek would have to be careful when taking them down.

He looked to Retz, crouching behind a generator nearby. He gave the signal, letting him know that everyone was in position. It was now or never. First things first, get rid of the machine gunner and free up Dipshit's people. He trusted only one person to handle that. He nodded at Retz and sliced a finger across his neck. Retz grinned and moved in for the kill.

Switching one of his plasma pistols out for a energy dagger, made of the same stuff their needle rounds were just stronger and less explodey, Retz jumped towards the back of the Innies squad. He landed carefully, facing the back of the machine gunner directly. He then rushed in and stabbed hard into the human's back, then again into the back of the human's neck before twisting and slicing away. As the Innie fell, he clutched at the machine gun's handles, forcing it to aim upwards as he collapsed. The other humans turned to Retz. They were either shocked that their friend was dead or that a kig-yar had done it. Maybe both, but it was enough of a pause for Retz to sling his energy dagger into one of their number and shoot at a second.

The dagger hit near the heart, penetrating the vest enough to at least cause the human pain and stumble back. The other human screamed in agony as plasma slashed into his torso, the vest proving useless against energy based weaponry as Zek had suspected. Retz knocked the legs out from under the human and rolled into a defensive position. With his energy gauntlets activated, he began deflecting the incoming shots from the other Insurrectionists. That was Zek's cue, along with the rest of the pirates. They charged at the Insurrectionist position en masse, shooting from behind their shields as they moved to support Retz.

Zek went for the jugular of course, rushing in from the side to bash one Insurrectionist with his shield before gutting him with plasma machete. He blocked the incoming fire of his comrade, as rifle shots bounced of the defensive plasma. He forced himself forward before slicing at the human's hand that was pulling the trigger and then stabbing clean into the terrorist's throat. Another of them rushed him from the side though, hitting him hard against the head with his rifle. Zek shook it off, and bunted the human's weapon away with his shield before running him clean through.

As for Retz, he didn't let his incoming support prevent him from making quick work of these human ex-cons himself. As they provided him support, Retz moved forward, firing his plasma pistols at them. He aimed for their heads, the fastest way to take these idiots down. Once he was close enough, he made short work of their numbers. He blasted one in the gun as he punched his weapon into it, then let off another bolt into the face of another Insurrectionist behind him as he turned. A third came at him with some kind of improvised blade, but Retz just grabbed the arm and twisted it. The human let the weapon drop, screaming in pain, as the kig-yar forced him to ground and then discharged several plasma bolts into the idiot's head.

It was over in a few short seconds. Retz let the body of dead human go limp as Zek kicked one of them to make sure they were dead. The rest of the kig-yar gathered around, securing the area.

"Pft, amateurs," Retz snarled. "Not even the jiralhanae are this sloppy. Evidently, the human Insurrectionists do not have a vested interest in quality soldiers. Just cannon fodder."

"Hey they survived a second longer than I expected," Zek joked. "Give them credit for that at least."

The ODSTs soon moved up onto the platform, weapons drawn. Thankfully, not on the kig-yar for once, just he various dead humans around them. Their Sergeant soon approached Zek, looking no doubt for a sitrep.

"You get'em all?" He asked impatiently.

"I don't know, we might have left one alive for shits and giggles," Zek sardonically responded. "Yeah, we massacred them all. What does it look like we did, Sergeant Dipshit?"

"Lendon," the human snarled. "Sergeant Lendon."

"Yeah, that's what I said, Dipshit," Zek spat back. "You're welcome by the way."

To Dipshit's credit he didn't throw a punch or make a threatening gesture. He did, however, growl as he went to his comm.

"Captain, the Innies are terminated down here," he informed McKay. "Jackals pulled their weight for once. How are you doing up there?"

It wasn't the kind of appreciation he wanted, but the smug satisfaction over the fact Dipshit had to admit he had been saved by kig-yar, even if it was only a backhanded compliment, was enough for the moment. There was still the problem of the assholes upstairs to take care of, as McKay made very clear.

"They pulled back after we tagged another of their number, but it was all a damn feint," she explained. "They've got the main console room locked down tight. Several hostiles up front, shotguns and assault rifles a plenty. We got them sighted, but we can't get close right. We need you and Zek's people back up here pronto."

As McKay finished her report, the stinging sound of the station's intercom came to life. It rung in their ears painfully for a few seconds before a clear voice came through the speakers.

"Well, well, this is a surprise," the voice stated. "We expected Covenant when we spotted your transport on radar. Then we found out it was a pack of the UNSC's war dogs. And now, it seems you've teamed up with the Covies too. So much for protecting humanity, huh? What? You fuckers finally join up with the aliens glassing us all? Or maybe this whole damn war of yours was just another ruse all along?"

"Oh great, one of them wants to talk," Retz groaned. "How... annoying."

"Doesn't matter, I'll cut to the chase," the Innie continued. "My name is Dagen, that's all you need to know. When we stumbled upon this base in the Prowler's logs, we figured it would be a nice place to get some juicy ONI secrets. Instead, we find ourselves locked out and currently in a standoff with you lot. We can't get in and neither can you. Here's the deal, you give us whatever code they gave you to retrieve the data on these servers and let us walk. Otherwise... well... we did manage to hack into one critical system from here. Self-destruct. I think that says everything that needs to be said."

Zek and Retz looked at one another befuddled. This was his play? Do what I say or I blow myself and you up? He really was an amateur. That being said, Zek figured McKay was not about to let Dagen get his prize nor would she risk the whole team along with the data getting blown up. Zek wasn't sure if this was a bluff or not himself, but either way he was not getting played by a bunch of punk sloppy terrorists and their asshole leader.

"Let's get back to McKay," Zek declared gravely. "We need to strategize."

---

The signal was going in and out constantly, but Cortana did her best to keep Chief's headset tuned to it. All the while, Taq kept checking the Amplifier Relic, her mind fully focused on the concentration of the resonance. Chief's mind was only half on the mission now though. With more Spartans alive and in these caverns somewhere, how could he not be? It was only by seemingly sheer luck that as the resonance grew stronger, so did the SOS signal.

Anton kept in front, leading them through the various twists and turns of the caverns themselves. Linda kept the closest pace, ready with her rifle should any Covenant who might pop up. Chief knew they were close, even if they couldn't see or hear them. Anton assured them all they were there, deep into their territory. Chief trusted his judgment. He had been here for way longer after all.

"We're getting closer," Taq said, trying to contain her excitement. "Snatching a sacred relic right out from under the Covenant's stupid noses. Ha, I love this job, so much."

Anton only looked back briefly to stare at the Jackal before turning to Chief.

"She's... very enthusiastic about this archaeology thing, isn't she?" Anton questioned.

"Not your typical Jackal, that's for sure," Chief acknowledged. "How close are we to that atrium?"

"Not far," Anton assured. "Just a few more bends and we're there."

Good, they'd find the relic with any luck and see how far the Spartans were from there. With any luck they could hold the extraction area for a time before they needed to head to Castle Base proper. Unfortunately, that plan was soon complicated when they could hear voices in around the next corner.

Anton paused, approaching the sector cautiously. The others followed suit. Chief looked up ahead alongside Anton to see for himself what they were facing. A single Covenant squad, standard formation, two elites, four grunts. Nothing too terrible, but they were heading towards their objective, towards the atrium.

"They're closing on the relic," Chief warned. "We need to move now before they can report it in."

"We start shooting though and the Covies will hear it," Anton warned. "We won't have long before they zero in."

"We'll just have to risk it," Chief stated. "Linda, Jun, provide suppressing fire. Anton, Kat and me will move in close to take them out."

"We'll provide support," Shepard assured. "Just in case there are any surprises."

A good idea, if Anton's assumptions were right, there would be other squads close by. The Covenant rarely traveled too far out of range of one another. Numbers and force were their strength. Linda and Jun got their rifles ready and took aim at the Covie squad. As they did, Chief led the rest of the Spartans down the corridor quietly, trying to get as close as they could before attacking. When they reached some cover in the form of some rock formations, Chief gave Linda the signal to light the enemy up.

Linda fired her Battle Rifle at one of the grunts, hitting him in the methane pack which exploded off his back. Jun followed suit by taking pot shots at the Elites and their shields. The opening salvo sent the Covies racing for cover of any kind, firing back like mad.

Chief unleashed a torrent of fire from his assault rifle, cutting down one of the grunts as he rushed for cover. Kat fired pinpoint shots from her pistol, intent on eating away at the shields of one of the Elites. Anton kept the other Elite occupied, forcing him to stay down.

Another of the grunts fell as Chief hosed the area with bullets. That was when an energy bolt hit his cover. Charging in from a nearby cavern appeared another Elite and a pair of grunts with him. It was a small reinforcement, but enough to potentially make this last longer than it had to.

Chief looked out onto the field and spotted a discarded plasma pistol from one of the dead grunts. He looked to Kat and Anton to provide him cover as he moved out into the open. His fellow Spartans obliged by sending a hail of fire at the newcomer Elite, forcing him into cover so his shields could recharge. Chief rushed for the plasma pistol, grabbing it in his hand as he held onto his assault rifle with the other. As he moved in closer, a blaze of fire erupted amongst one party of grunts while a singularity ruptured above another. Chief didn't have to look back to know Shepard and Zaeed were giving him backup, he kept pressing on.

Within seconds he was within spitting distance of the Elites' positions. He overcharged his plasma pistol as he slid into their numbers and fired it right into the nearest one. Discarding the alien weapon, he took back full grip onto his assault rifle and unloaded it into the now defenseless Covenant officer. As he fell, Chief jumped back to his feet and smashed his rifle into the face of a charging Elite. He proceeded to wail on the Covie, blow after blow from his rifle before expending the rest of the clip into the alien proper. That was when he got tackled.

The final Elite had forced him to the ground and was now trying to stick his plasma rifle into his face. Chief grabbed the gun and tried to force it back onto its owner, but the Elite was strong, especially for his kind. As they struggled to get a hold of the weapon, the Elite roared defiantly in the Spartan's face. And then suddenly, a single shot rang out. There was a brief plume of purple blood and the alien collapsed to the ground, a hole in his head.

Chief forced the body off of him and slowly rose to his feet.

"We should really just get you a knife or something," Cortana told him. "It would make this way easier."

Chief didn't pay the comment much mind because something about how that fight ended perplexed him. The bullet seemed to have hit the Elite in the opposite direction from his other Spartans. If so, where had it come from. That's when Cortana piped in again with more relevant information.

"Chief," she began cautiously. "The SOS signal is coming in perfectly clear now. We're practically on top of it."

Chief was already looking towards the other side of the rock formations. There was what looked to be a crop of Forerunner ruins ahead of them, buried in the rock, but slowly excavated out. The design was unmistakable, given what Chief remembered from Halo's lower levels and surface structures. Among the Forerunner ruins, even before the others joined him, Chief had already switched to his old team's frequency, Red Team's frequency.

"Kelly, Fred, Joshua" he spoke aloud. "Are you there? Are you receiving?"

That was all it took. Emerging from the ruins of the excavated Forerunner structure, were two Spartans. Chief knew them before even seeing the serial numbers on their armor. The helmet designs, one with a smaller visor, the other with a wider one, made it clear who they were. Kelly and Fred, his Red Team. Linda was right next to them once she realized they had emerged.

"I don't believe it," Fred said as soon as he found the words. "I was hoping that signal would work but..."

"Linda, Chief, you're here," Kelly said, shocked but clearly pleased to see her teammates. "We should've known. If anyone was going to come for us it would be you."

Linda moved over clasp arms with Kelly, followed shortly by doing the same to Fred.

"Chief never lost faith that you had made it," she told them both. "It's... good to see you both again."

"Likewise," Fred assured. "We've been through the ringer here."

"So have we," Chief stated. "It's a long story. Very long."

It was at that point the two Spartans noticed the others, including Shepard's team. The Commander approached, signaling both Grunt and Zaeed to stand back for the moment.

"Commander Shepard, Fred 104 and Kelly 087," Chief introduced. "They along with me and Linda made up the rest of my primary Spartan team."

"Good to meet you," Shepard told them both, saluting. "Sorry we're a little late getting here."

"Just glad you came," Fred told him. "And I'm sure you'll explain the giant alligator you have following you in time. Right now, maybe fill us in on the... other alien."

Taq had proved to be uninterested in the reunion, she was already pushing her way through the crowd, relic in her hands. It was now resonating intensely now.

"It's here," she began stating with a measured degree of jubilation. "It's here! We're practically on top of it!"

"It?" Kelly asked.

"This is Taq, she's a Jackal but she's on our side," Chief went over quickly. "We're looking for something similar to the artifact in her hands actually. We were searching for it alongside you. We could use your help finding it."

"No need," Fred assured. "We got one other person here actually. Ma'am?"

Fred had turned back to the Forerunner ruins. Out from behind one of the rocks jutting out from the side wall appeared an old woman in a ragged labcoat, clutching something in her arms. The distinct resonating glow made it clear what the object was, even if it didn't exactly match the Amplifier's appearance. It was more crystal-like than anything. That was what caught Taq's eye as she edged close to it. Chief was more surprised by who was holding said crystal, Dr. Catherine Halsey.

"Commander Shepard, John," she greeted upon seeing the two respectively. "What a timely rescue from you both."

It was Halsey alright, she was the only person who ever called him exclusively by his real name. Never his number, never his rank, just his name. At least whatever she had endured down in these tunnels hadn't damaged her sense of dry wit. Although Taq was clearly trying her patience by poking the amplifier in her face constantly. Halsey kept pulling back.

"Could you tell your avian bedfellow to stop shoving that thing at me?" She requested.

"This is it, the relic!" Taq shouted happily. "We found it! Praise the Oceans, we found it! Ha, ha!"

"Taq, celebrate later," Shepard reminded her. "We still need to get out of here. And please, don't antagonize the good doctor. She's been through enough."

"So long as I get a chance to look at it later, fine," Taq huffed. "Just don't make me wait too long."

Chief approached Halsey, Cortana appearing on his Omni-tool as he brought it up.

"I trust the partnership is going well then," the doctor observed.

"Splendidly," Cortana replied. "However, we might have a few things to discuss between us once we're out of here."

Halsey raised her brow aloft and looked to John.

"It's mostly between you, Cortana and Tali actually," he clarified.

Halsey looked down again at the AI.

"How long?" The doctor asked.

"Detected it as soon as Tali plugged it in," Cortana responded smugly. "Really? You didn't think I would know how you think? I'm not even mad, I'm fine with it actually. I'm just a bit disappointed you thought I was that stupid."

Halsey just sighed.

"We can discuss this further along with any else that has transpired when we are out of danger," she declared. "Right now, we must exfiltrate this area."

"We were planning on using the atrium," Shepard said, pointing to the doorway behind her. "Cortana says there's a likely shaft leading up to the top of the mountain."

"She's correct," Halsey admitted, noting Cortana's satisfied look upon the AI's face as she did. "I hope you are more than prepared to climb."

Taq had already pulled out her grappling lines and held them up for all to see.

"These ain't just for show, lady," she laughed. "Now come on, lets get out of here with our prize already!"

The group rushed through the doorway into the atrium proper. The shaft within did reach high up to the top of the mountain. It was indeed a long climb. Taq was quick to set up the grapple launcher which would get them out of here quickly. However, Chief started to wonder if it would be quick enough. He held up an arm suddenly, as he eyes darted to the various upper galleries overlooking the atrium, leading all the way up the shaft. Everyone went quiet, just as the truth revealed itself. From out of the shadows, appeared a horde of Covenant, all lining the galleries, all with their weapons trained downward... on them.

Zaeed was the first to say anything, but it was a sentiment no doubt shared with all in attendance.

"Ahhhhh... fuck."

---

The main console room could be seen clear from the server room floor. It overlooked the area with a wide glass window with a single lift leading up into the room embedded into the wall beneath it. McKay had formed a perimeter directly in front of it among the servers. She kept her people's crosshairs targeted on the windows overhead. The huragok was hovering nearby, connected to the server tower the ODST Captain was using as cover. McKay herself was keeping her eyes trained on the console room, her mind desperately trying to pose a solution to the standoff.

When Zek and Retz returned, McKay waved them over to her position. Zek motioned his men to take up cover with the other ODSTs as he did so. Once they settled in, McKay filled them in the situation.

"They have snipers in the windows with additional support," she informed them.

"You got them locked in?" Zek asked.

"We have shots, but the second we pull the trigger we risk going up in smoke with them," McKay warned. "I checked with Haverson, this station was outfitted with a self-destruct."

"They can't possibly have access to it," Retz huffed. "Any system like that would need the proper codes or keys. Don't tell me it's just some button you have laying on the dashboard."

"Haverson assures me no," McKay answered dutifully. "But, we have no idea how long they've been here. They could've cracked the codes or hacked the system or rigged up a bypass, regardless, we can't risk it."

Zek didn't bother to ask if they were just giving these idiots what they wanted then. He knew one thing about Haverson, he did not like to appear the chump. Giving secrets to terrorists was about the chumpiest move a person like him could make.

Besides, he wasn't giving up that easy either. Last thing any pirate did was give up potential spoils to people who didn't deserve them. Which meant anyone who wasn't you, of course.

"Then we need to get in there and take them all down before they can trigger it," Zek declared firmly. "Is there another way in besides the lift?"

"Our glowing tentacled friend here is working on that angle himself," McKay assured. "He can't crack the deep files from here, but he can access supplementary systems. We're looking for a layout of this place, see if it can give us something to use."

The Huragok turned and chirped at McKay, before moving one of its tentacles over to her omni-tool, activating it. Appearing on the screen were a series of schematics for the station, every floor, corridor and room. She focused in on the main console room and started looking through the files. It didn't take her long to find something useful. There appeared to be some kind of hollow space above control room itself.

"Okay, they were doing some renovation work before Reach was attacked, adding an additional floor," she explained. "Probably for additional storage space or more data servers, whatever the reason they had started drilling into the rock but hadn't finished."

"And it's just above the heads of those idiots," Zek chuckled. "All we gotta do is blast through the floor of that place and take them completely by surprise!"

"A good plan, but we need to stall for time I think," Retz suggested. "Convince these terrorists that they've beaten us, while we prepare their downfall."

"I'll keep them distracted through negotiations," McKay told them. "A few of my men will accompany you to the hollowed out section. You can get there through some service tunnels back through the entrance to the server room."

"I'm not sure we got the right ordinance to handle bursting through all that rock though," Zek informed her.

"My guys do, don't worry about that," McKay assured. "You just focus on killing those Innies and disabling their auto-destruct capabilities."

"From data recovery to assassination, now this is a pirate worthy contract," Zek declared with grin as he ignited his plasma machete. "You'll have their leader's head on a pike before the hour is out, Captain."

Zek couldn't explain it, but he just found this sudden demand among the humans to kill their own kind so enjoyable. He was unsure if McKay appreciated his zeal or not, her expression and tone didn't change. It spoke volumes more than anything her words directly claimed. She hated these people, maybe more than she ever hated kig-yar. She wanted them dead and she honestly didn't care who did it, even if it was an alien. Perhaps it was because he was an alien. These Insurrectionists still fought their own government during a time their race faced annihilation. Perhaps it wasn't a betrayal of humanity, but Zek imagined it felt like one. They placed their own survival above that of Earth's. If there was one thing he had learned about this species it was how much that concept enraged or troubled humans.

He couldn't really care less about that, but Zek did still want to kill these human terrorists anyway. Maybe it was because they were trying to steal the share he was promised by Haverson when he got forced into coming here. Maybe it was the fact they made a nice surrogate to hammer all his frustrations concerning the ODSTs out on while also being completely sanctioned by the Drop Troopers themselves. Or, most likely and most simply, he just really needed to stab something today. In the end, it was probably a combination of all three. It mattered little, what did matter was he was going to enjoy this regardless of the ultimate reason for why.

Zek let the ODSTs lead for once, they had a better sense of direction. If only because one of them had an omni-tool with a map downloaded into it by McKay. The easy part was traversing the service tunnels, they were roomier than expected. Perhaps because human technicians weren't as bulky as huragoks and didn't like to crouch for hours on end. Eventually they managed to reach their destination, forcing their way through a broken wall and a bunch of work tape stretched over it.

There wasn't much to the hollowed out space above the console room. It had scattered work equipment every where, most digging tools like high powered drills and the like. The walls were still craggy and uneven in places, smoother in others. They really had been forced to leave in the middle of their job. For whatever else it was, the space was a reminder that they were inside an asteroid and not your regular old space station.

The ODST soon stopped in the middle of the rock floor.

"Here, here, here and here," he said, pointing to four distinct corners close to him. "Set the charges boys, lets give these Innies a new sun roof."

"You mean pirate roof," Zek sinisterly chuckled,

Strangely enough, he thought he heard at least one of these xenophobes stifle a laugh. He honestly hoped it wasn't just wishful thinking. Maybe they were finally getting their sticks out of their asses at last. All over mutual hatred of another group of humans. He wasn't sure if that was ironic or not, but it sounded close.

As they watched the ODSTs place the charges, Retz and Zek prepared themselves for a fight. Luckily they weren't going in there alone, obviously the ODSTs wanted to jump in there too. They were the spearhead though, the fear factor, so they had to make a good impression on the assholes inside. The lead ODST also had some extra helpful intel to add.

"Good news, McKay just radioed me, the Engineer cracked the camera inside the console room," he told them. "You guys want a preview?"

"It does help to know who you're about the kill," Zek admitted. "Just a bit."

The ODST kneeled down and brought up his omni-tool's display. It showed the inside of the console room, filled with Innies. There were six of them. Two snipers, three riflemen and their leader, Dagen. He was hunched over a nearby comm-unit as his pack of followers were either crowded around or keeping an eye on the window. They didn't suspect a thing. Before long, the audio eventually kicked in through the static.

"-not good enough," Dagen said threateningly into the comm-unit. "I want absolute assurances. That means we keep the Prowler AND your Phantom. You can ask your CO to send you a new one to pick you up."

"That was not the original terms you set," McKay's voice shot back. "You said, you wanted the intel on the servers and be allowed to leave the station. I'm willing to give you that, but I'm not letting you take advanced alien technology as well."

"Oh what, need permission from your new vulture buddies?" Dagen asked mockingly. "I'm not giving you bastards a chance to pursue. In fact, I want make sure you don't have whatever ship you came in on blow us out of the sky. We want hostages, two of them."

"Now you're being ridiculous," McKay responded firmly. "I'll give you the code, but you won't get it unless you send someone down here to get it. It's manual so-"

"I don't believe you," Dagen shouted back. "You or your filthy space chicken friends! I've been in here long enough to know what we need! So tell me the code in the next thirty minutes or we all go up in smoke!"

Retz held his beak rather pointedly as he watched.

"I'm going to enjoy killing him, I think," Retz stated. "He seems most unpleasant."

"I'm getting real sick of every other person referring to me as that earthen avian creature as an insult myself," Zek stated bluntly. "We ready to go yet?"

The sound of a final compression clamp and several beeps, signifying the last charge was ready, gave Zek his answer. Everyone pulled away from the area, preparing themselves.

"Okay, when this goes off, we need to move fast," the ODST lead said.

"Deal with the losers at the windows," Zek told him. "I got their leader."

He turned on his plasma machete, Retz brought his shield gauntlets up and the ODST lead pressed the detonator. The charges exploded, ripping a hole right into the room. Crumbling rocks fell onto one of the terrorists, burying him. He would not be a problem. The strike team moved in next.

Jumping through the hole, landing inside the room proper, the ODSTs opened fire on the snipers near the windows, gunning them down before they could bring their weapons to bare. With their main source of protection from assault gone, McKay would be charging in any second now. Zek and Retz focused on the remaining three Innies, still dazed from the explosion and too frantic to respond.

Zek charged in ahead while Retz let loose a torrent of bolts from behind. The dual plasma pistols made short work of the terrorists as they tried to move into a defensive position. As they fell into the console, burning plasma bolt wounds all over them, Zek went for the head of the snake itself. To Dagen's credit, he tried his best to defend himself, pulling his pistol and aiming it at the kig-yar charging him. Only to have his arm sliced off at the elbow and then impaled. Zek forced the man's head down to his own.

"How's that for a fucking space chicken, humie?" He shouted at him. "Huh? How you fucking like that?"

Zek then unholstered a needler, stuck it in Dagen's mouth and pulled the trigger once. He then deactivated his plasma machete and let the body fall to the floor. With a pink shard, still jammed into the human's throat, Zek kicked the Innie's face in a few times before finally just spitting on him.

It was already over by then, the lead ODST in the assault looked over to him as the others secured the area.

"You good?" He asked, not sounding at all disapproving of what was done.

"Just... fine," Zek said, taking shallow breaths. "Peachy, as humans say."

The ODST just nodded and walked off. Retz bothered to actually press further.

"And you said you hated this mission," he recalled. "Now it seems it was therapeutic."

"I can't complain about the outcome," Zek admitted. "At least I got to shoot someone who deserved it."

For a pirate, that was usually enough. It wasn't like Zek felt any particular hatred against these Innies after all. They hadn't done anything to him until today. After being in close proximity so long with the likes of these ODSTs though, forced to not do anything about it, for so long, and then encountering a bunch of humans it was okay to kill? Well, Zek had to admit he didn't mind running into that problem at all. Like Retz had said, therapeutic.

McKay arrived shortly after, coming up from the lift at the back of the room. She directed her men to take the bodies out as she moved to the console. The lead ODST from before was there to greet her.

"Captain we found out what they were going to use," he said, holding up a detonator hooked up to the console. "They manually tapped into the fuse ignition with this. Very crude, but effective. Thankfully, it is easily disabled and we can transfer the coded detonation sequence to your omni-tool for safe keeping."

"Good," McKay told him. "Lets get what we came for and get out of here."

The huragok was now in the room. He floated over to the access console and began accessing the data logs directly. Before long, the access codes were engaged and the system began feeding all accumulated data into its synapses, storing it all for later transfer into Haverson's personal hard drive no doubt. As this was being done, McKay went to talk to Zek and Retz directly.

"Great work today, guys," she told them. "You and your fellow pirates actually."

"Just fulfilling our contract," Zek plainly assured her. "That's all."

"I know this mission wasn't easy for you," she relented. "It wasn't for us either. I'd like to think we managed to reach some common ground though. We wouldn't have been able to get this far without each other."

Zek preferred to think they got this far despite each other, but why ruin a nice sentiment? Especially when it was probably the only one he'd ever get from an ODST in a while.

"Just tell me you got something good off these damn computers and it will be worth it," Zek told her. "And maybe get Haverson off my back to boot."

"I can't promise anything," McKay informed him. "But I think he'll appreciate your contribution to this mission's success at any rate."

That would be the day, Zek thought rather cynically. Haverson had accused him of using the UNSC as muscle, now Haverson was trying to use him. Maybe turnabout was fair play, but Zek wasn't about to be the toy soldier of another power with a cause not his own. This would not be common, not if he could help it.

That was when Zek's personal omni-tool flared up. He was receiving a call. As he answered it, it was revealed to be Varvok on screen.

"Zek, please tell me you've wrapped everything down there," he asked, sounding concerned.

"We're almost done," he assured the batarian. "Just a few minor hiccups that have been recently terminated. Why? Miss us already?"

"We have a problem," Varvok stated insistently. "A new crop of ships just jumped into the system and parked right in front of us. Holland took the Ascendant Justice out of close range to avoid detection."

"More Covenant?" McKay asked, sounding worried.

"It's not Covenant," Varvok warned.

The batarian flicked a few buttons on a nearby console, transferring a feed to Zek's omni-tool. On it was an image of the ships in question. They were three Battlecruisers, but their markings and weaponry didn't match standard Covenant protocol. They were colored black and on their sides were printed imaged of a scarred kig-yar skull, a pair of energy cutlasses behind it.

Zek didn't bother asking further question. He knew what this was. Who this was.

"Snarlbeak," he grimaced. "He's tracked us down."

---

AN: Apologies for the double cliffhanger folks, but this ran long too. I knew it would when I realized what needed to be accomplished. Good news, more Reach for you next time. There should be some bits of background info posted on my blog. You can head to the link in the profile, it should be there by the time this is posted. Oh, and for those nostalgic for the story that started this project off, HellFox has new audio you might like. If your fans of One Punch Man, you'll also probably enjoy his choice of music. Heh, it is oddly appropriate. Link should be in the profile where it usually is. Thank you all once again for your patience with these updates and your kind words of encouragement and correction, I hope to hear more from you all once this chapter goes live. See you for more Reach Shenanigans, next time.