Tyuule looked upon the arriving UNSC force with a hint of concern. In the lead vehicle, Doctor Halsey and the Lieutenant had stopped dead in front of her, at the edge of the forest, then disembarked. Halsey took her glasses off, approaching Tyuule, and stared right into her eyes. The queen hummed, then spoke to Halsey in Latin, "I feel like I know why you asked for us, Doctor..."
"I would not be surprised. I am certain Shana must've reported... If the two missing teeth my Lieutenant gave her during last night's little raid didn't give it away," Halsey replied, still maintaining the same calm with which she and the woman had first begun their negotiations. Tyuule sighed, then looked back to see Shana being dragged forward by Delilah and another of her escorting Bunny Warriors.
Halsey hummed, "And there's the culprit..."
"Had we known what she was planning to do, Doctor, we would have stopped her, but she has been acting up lately." Tyuule explained, glaring at the tribal leader, "I don't know if she is trying to bring your people's wrath down upon us while we also face the ever-more-pressing Imperial demands, but I can assure you that we shall deal with her... Provided the Imperials will not kill us before that."
"We will hold you to that..." Halsey noted, "Is the Empire here?"
"Their envoys will come soon, yes..."
The Lieutenant continued to watch the exchange, glaring daggers at Shana while the others secured a perimeter. He didn't know what to think of the current situation, but he really wanted his lads back right now. Halsey, meanwhile, turned toward him and waved him forth. He sighed, then nodded to his team and marched up to the doctor, asking, "What happened, doc?"
"Take a team to Shana's village alongside Delilah. Retrieve our troops," She ordered, "It seems that queen Tyuule seeks our help... Shana has been causing them trouble with the Empire by stealing those merchantmen. I'll stay with the Queen and see when the Prince and his force arrives for discussions, perhaps try to talk him down and begin our own negotiations with him so we can go visit the Holy Hill..."
"I wish you luck on that one, doc. I'm gonna go get our boys back," He nodded, then racked the bolt of his assault rifle. He waved three of his soldiers forward:Rosie, Ikari and another female, just so that last evening's raiders don't try anything like yoinking them off the road. He was only here to get their four boys back. He promptly realized that they were probably fine.
Delilah looked over to him as they rolled forward, both of them somewhat tense while she dragged Shana along. She offered a slight smile to reassure him, which he took reluctantly and replied to. He sighed, then looked over to see Rosie grinning, her shotgun tightly gripped in her hands. He rolled his eyes, then readied himself and his MA40 as they approached the village.
Several of the girls immediately bowed apologetically, while others stared at the Marines with surprise. Another of them sat, gripping her side where a blood rag held her guts in place. The Lieutenant looked over to the new girl they'd brought with them, namely a Corpsman corporal by the name of Samantha, then tilted his head toward the wounded Bunny Warrior. She nodded, slinging her weapon onto her back and pulling out medical items.
Shana murmured something to Delilah, who was watching as the UNSC soldier spoke calmly in her own language to the wounded Warrior. Delilah replied, then looked to the Lieutenant and raised a brow. He hummed, then said, "She's a doctor. Healer. Shaman, if you will..." and he saw the last word caught the girl's attention. She nodded approvingly, while Shana seemed surprised, perhaps, at the fact that the ones whom she'd tried to kidnap, the ones she and her girls had nearly died to, were trying to help.
"Counting several injured, sir," Rosie murmured after approaching the Lieutenant, "Some of the boys still had live ammo last night. I'm also seeing a couple of dead currently being buried off to the left..."
"Shame, but that's on them..." Richard murmured, remorseless over the killing of what was then hostile forces that attempted to either kill or kidnap more of their own. Shana motioned with her head toward one of the huts, where a content-looking younger woman of the tribe sat. The Lieutenant squinted, raised a balled fist and marched up to the door. With little hesitation or warning and much to the surprise of the occupants, the man kicked the door in, startling the two women currently surrounding one of their lost Marines. One of the two Bunny Warriors was feeding him grapes.
"L-Lieutenant!?" Balked the Ukrainian of the three missing men. Just as the young Lieutenant had suspected, quite honestly...
Eyes narrowed at the young man, the Lieutenant marched up to him and asked, "Had fun on your vacation, corporal Stechkin?" before noting the other two farther in the back, looking from behind curtains that separated them from both each-other and the rest of the world. The Lieutenant scoffed, then smirked and said, "Of course, you fuckers would revel in this shit..."
"Can you blame us, boss?" Hsu laughed.
"No," He sighed, "But fun's over. Asses in gear. You can come visit your wives after you report in and Doc Halsey finishes chatting up the 'Empire' that's been threatening them..." and he looked back at the girls as they poked their heads in to see the lads. Rosie sighed, pinched her brow and looked to the Lieutenant. He shrugged, grinning still, then said, "Sarge is also clearly considering kicking your asses, so hurry up."
The three men bid messy goodbyes in broken Latin to the girls that were pampering them and immediately went to join the rank and file again, loading up their kit. The Lieutenant sighed, rubbing his eyes, then said, "Well, it's good to know you three fuckers weren't injured in any way, shape, or form... Let's go. Doc Halsey's waiting for us..." and hefted his assault rifle. He bid a quick goodbye via a nod of his head to Shana, who was being held down by her own, then moved with his squad over to the meeting point.
As they passed through the forest, the Lieutenant started hearing yelling. Racking the bolt of his rifle, he looked over to the group that was with him. With little hesitation, all of them charged forth, rifles and blades in hand, only to come upon the worst sight. Several of the Bunny Warriors had their blades drawn, while their Marines formed a wedge between a bleeding Doctor Halsey and a blonde man standing on an armored horse.
The Lieutenant ran up to the doctor, to see she'd only gotten a cut on her left arm. He looked up, to see the man on the horse wielding a sword with a bloodied tip. Behind him resided several more soldiers on horseback, resembling the Roman warriors of old to some degree, though more 'modernized', more medieval rather than Roman proper, with full plate armors instead of the classic Roman Segmentata.
He scowled at the man who was clad in heavy scarlet armor with a purple, furry cape draped over his shoulders. The Lieutenant stood to his feet and asked, "You alright, doc?"
"I'm fine, Lieutenant..." She grit her teeth, holding onto her arm. He and Tyuule both helped her up and she looked upon the leader of the enemy's unit, stating, "Lieutenant... This is Prince Zorzal al Caesar, of the Saderan Empire... Our neighbors..."
"Doc, with all due respect to fuckface over here, I don't give a shit who he is... Translate, if you don't mind, the following," He started.
"Lieutenant, wait-"
"If you're gonna tell me to be diplomatic, doc, fucking forget about it... One sec..." He replied, glaring at the man. He thumbed his com and said, "Major. We've got a situation. We met that Empire the Bunny Warriors spoke about... Their prince just fucking tried to kill the doctor. She has a nasty cut wound on the left arm. I can see the blood on the fucker's blade."
"... Treat the targets as hostile, Lieutenant. Doctor Halsey still has final say, but corral them at the very least."
"Sir," He replied, then looked to the doctor. Her shoulders sagged. Yes, one of the points of contention for Halsey was that, if the situation ever turned to the point of a hostility with the Empire or their neighbors, the Military would have last say in the matter. Especially if one of their own was injured. She shook her head, then offered a nod to the Lieutenant and let him speak. He glared up at the Prince, who seemed to glare back with a pair of scarlet eyes. Richard began to speak, with Halsey translating, "I am Lieutenant Richard Samuels of the United Nations Space Command Marine Corps. You've injured the commander of our task force... Can I ask why?"
The man stared for a moment at the Lieutenant, then burst into laughter and explained, with Halsey translating, "He says that he did it because I... Badmouthed him. And that I should know my place..." She hummed, then sighed and said, "I presume their culture isn't that inclusive and slightly more misogynist, considering they resemble the old Romans..."
"Doesn't matter to me, doc... Continue translating," He stated, then glared once more at Zorzal and said, "The doctor must've sought to discuss the matters of the Bunny Warriors with you, Prince, as well as safe passage to a site we need to get to. We're a research unit with armed personnel tacked on for security... And we don't really take kindly to assholes like you stabbing our people."
"Lieutenant..." Halsey paused at that last line, glaring at him.
"Translate, doc. I have a feeling the Nasty Prince over here doesn't get kind words..." The man replied sternly. With a defeated sigh, Halsey complied, translating the Lieutenant's words to the letter. The scowl that replaced the Prince's previous, smug visage made the Lieutenant grin this time. The man yelled in Latin at them, pointing toward the Lieutenant.
"... Well, he's angry..." Halsey sighed deeply, "He said that your words bring dishonor to his family and to the Empire and that you'd best apologize now, lest you want the full might of the Imperial military be brought upon us and the Bunny Warriors..." and she looked back, to see the concern in the eyes of the Bunny Warrior queen and her subordinates. Halsey looked over to him, then hummed.
The Lieutenat's grin grew into a manic smile, "Oh. Threats, now... As the old saying goes, Sic Semper Tyrannis, Prince... If you wanna have a go, come on," And he racked the bolt of his assault rifle. The man growled and pointed his blade at the Lieutenant, but the dozen Marines around him all trained guns on them. Zorzal scowled, then motioned to his men to follow him. He then pointed at the Lieutenant with his blade once more and spoke.
"Your troops will meet ours in battle tomorrow! And I shall teach you and those rabbit whores respect, you cur!" Halsey translated, approaching the Lieutenant and watching as they rode away. She pinched the bow of her nose and murmured, "Oh, tomorrow is going to be a long day... Lieutenant, come with me. We will have to explain to queen Tyuule why we just had a war declared on us."
"I think she can understand..." The man sighed.
Tyuule stepped up to them, holstering her blades, then spoke to the Doctor and to the Lieutenant. Halsey had clearly turned on the translation device this time, as the man understood, "He seemed determined to fight. He would not have attacked you otherwise, doctor... I apologize for dragging you into this mess in the first place. Perhaps it would have been best to send you away."
"It's not your fault, Your Highness... The Prince seemed to be seeking out a war of extermination. I would presume he wanted your land," The woman replied, "Plus, the young man seems to be quite driven to seek out warfare. Perhaps he wants to prove himself to the Emperor if he's a prince..." and she sighed, then looked to the Lieutenant and spoke to him, "Can you please let the Major know?"
"Already on it," The man replied with a nod, turning on coms and marching toward a Warthog. The Doctor watched the young man as he made the call, then she looked upon a worried Tyuule.
Halsey approached her, then spoke, "I also apologize for the Lieutenant. He is one of ours who does not like to see fellow humans injured."
"I see..." She sighed, rubbing her face, "Do you think this could have been prevented?"
"No," Halsey remarked, "Zorzal seems like a glory-seeker. He would have stooped low enough as to find some tiny reason to declare war upon and conquer your people. The Lieutenant offered a catalyst for that, but sadly brought us into conflict with the Imperials, as well," and she let out a deep, heavy sigh, stating, "Alas, this means we have an operation to undertake ahead of us. If Zorzal seeks war and will not even listen to reason to speak to us, we will fight."
She then looked to Tyuule and raised a brow, "But the question is if you are willing to fight together with us."
Shock streaked across the Demi-human woman's face as she looked upon the doctor. The doctor herself, meanwhile, wrapped an elastic bandage tightly around her arm, tied a knot and bit down onto one side to tighten it. She spat some of the loose material of the bandage out, then looked to the Queen and stated, "We are both in the same mess here. However, our forces are quite prepared to fight the Empire... Yours can leave, await for our signal that all is clear. I will try to talk the Prince down once more, but-"
"You cannot ask us to run, Doctor," Tyuule protested, "We're warriors after all."
"I know. But I cannot ask you to risk your lives for us. For your own kin, of course, but not for newcomers to your land," Halsey replied firmly, surprising Tyuule somewhat. Halsey cupped her own chin in a thinker's pose, watching as the silhouettes of the riders faded. In the distance, she could faintly see the lights of camps. Sighing, she murmured to herself in English, "I can't believe we've gotten ourselves stuck in this situation... Can one mission just go off without any sort of hitch or mistake?"
The Lieutenant marched up to the annoyed doctor, then said, "Good news, ma'am. Major said our boys and girls are prepped to repulse the enemy. He's also asking to send a request for air support from the Admiral."
"I believe that'd be a bit overkill," She replied, "We are only facing people armed with swords, shields bows and arrows so far. Although," She looked back at the Bunny Warriors, "This world is odd, Lieutenant. Tell the Major to keep the Air Support on standby. If we need it, I'd rather it be prepared in time for any kind of reinforcement we may need. Otherwise, well done."
"Uh, Doc?" The man seemed a bit stunned.
"You've done well in staving off the Prince. While I am uncertain if he knew what a gun is, I believe he understood the message," The good doctor explained, "Still, this means our exploration will have to be cut short while we deal with the repercussions this will have on our relationship with the Empire. Their Roman attire tells me a few things, however. And it raises several more questions that I hope the Gate will answer..."
"You and me both, doc..." The Lieutenant murmured, "What do we do about the Bunny Warriors, though? They'll probably try to wipe'em out, too."
"Well, we do what the military does best," Halsey remarked, sighing, "Much as it is disappointing. We fight, Lieutenant, and fight side by side with the Bunny Warriors if they so wish. We have three hundred men and several dozen vehicles already on the planet. One decisive victory should send a message to the Imperials... And perhaps bring their Emperor, instead of his sons, to the negotiation table," She then added.
Richard let out a deep sigh, too, murmuring to himself, "Great. We're gonna be fighting a bunch of people wielding swords..." before taking a moment to comprehend that whole shtick. Any sane man's reaction would've been one of surprise that they'd just met and were probably about to engage in a war against the ruling power of the territories around them, not to mention said power being what looked like medieval Rome. Still, the Lieutenant had seen much weirder shit than that at times and, with the Covenant, Storm Covenant and even the 'Promethean' constructs, activated defenses on the world of Requiem that resembled humanoid AIs, around, a bunch of cosplayers in medievalized Roman armor weren't anything to scoff at.
Still, the fact that they were actually human. That one was a bit weird. With a motion of his hand, the Lieutenant then ordered his men and women to board the vehicles, looking to Doctor Halsey as she finished up a chat with Tyuule. The Queen seemed fairly worried and understandably so. They'd probably just made an enemy that was really looking forward to a fight, so...
He sighed, then approached the doctor and the surprised Queen and asked, "Mind translating, doc?"
"... Uhm... Certainly?" Halsey paused. She waited for him.
He looked to Tyuule, then said to her, "Worry yourself not, Your Highness. We're all in the same boat right now. And we don't usually like leaving fellows behind."
He extended his hand toward the Queen after Halsey had translated. She looked to it for a moment, then to the man and, finally, she offered a small smile. Gripping his hand, she shook it firmly, to which the Lieutenant grinned and turned to the doctor. An approving nod from the woman later and the groups separated, with Halsey and the team heading for their base.
Wild day...