Doctor Halsey trudged through a swamp, clad in full military uniform rather than her labcoat. The knee-high waters, however, proved that had been the best choice for the good doctor. In front of her, Richard's platoon moved, followed by the guides from the Warrior Bunnies. The lattermost of the lot, however, moved between the trees with agility, avoiding the murky water below and the possible threats of animals and disease.
She eyed the leading Warrior Bunny as the girl pretty much waded unabated through the place Delilah had taken to leading their squad. She wore a full tactical kit as well, with her swords hanging by the belt, next to a Magnum M6G pistol. The swamp they were wading through was in the middle of a northern area, several kilometers from the MAC Crater currently decorating the landscape of the place. It was also a target for specific reasons.
Halsey pulled a device out of her pocket and looked it over. The map displayed on it pinpointed a small energy source just after the Swamp. Various small pinprick energy signs had started appearing across the continent, with Halsey pretty sure that was a signal for something happening. Water splashed as the woman waded forth through the grime, feeling the nasty smell and the bug-bites.
"No Relic is ever going to be somewhere less likely to give me Malaria, is it?" She murmured to herself, wading through now waist-deep water as she pushed forth, her clothes soaking. Delilah looked back to them and showed them to halt. The Marines and the doctor all tensed up as the girl dropped from the trees and into a shrub. She motioned the Lieutenant forward, then pointed forward.
"We're entering dragon-born territory," She stated and, for but a moment, the Lieutenant thought his translator was malfunctioning.
"Wait. Say again?" The man raised a brow as he whispered. She nodded, then mouthed the words, which the device slowly translated. The man sighed, "Oh, great... How the hell are you people bordering Dragons? And why are we only now finding out about this? Could've been some pertinent info to know before we waded into the waist-deep bullshit here, honestly..."
"It is a long story," She replied firmly, taking her binoculars out as Doctor Halsey joined them on the small island in the middle of the swamp. Delilah hummed, sweeping with her binocs in a forty-five degree angle and noting, "Seems they are lax about their border defenses today. Plus, they should do nothing to us, considering we mostly interact with them for trade."
"They know about us?" Richard then inquired.
"They've seen your ships come down and told some of our traders about seeing your patrols last month, so yes," Delilah replied, standing to her feet. She slid the binocs back into their container, then inquired, "By the way, the Queen says that we will all learn to speak English soon. Does that mean we will not require the translation devices anymore?" as the doctor was about to inquire who they were talking about.
"Yeah... Oh, doc, hey," The Lieutenant nodded to Halsey, "Apparently we're entering dragon-born territory, or something."
"... Dragon-born," Halsey murmured, "Well... I hope they do not mind guests."
"They don't," Delilah assured, "Now, come. We should reach the dungeon where your Relic is very soon."
Now, 'dungeon' was a relative term. The translation device gave false words some times, courtesy of certain Falmartian Latin words not having direct translations like normal Latin would. In this case, 'dungeon' could've meant a cave that poked out of the ground, a hole, or just an underground complex of some kind, not just the old jails of ye olde medieval and pre-medieval times.
Honestly? Doctor Halsey wasn't sure which would've been worse. The squad marched through, reaching the end of the swamp and entering just a natural chunk of forest that opened up into the mountainous region farther North-West of the FOB. The tall, snow-capped peaks of the place stood above them, poking into the fluffy, grey, glum clouds overhead. Some peaks outright vanished behind them.
"So, Dragon-born lands..." Rosie voiced, "Can they fly?"
"Yes," Replied Delilah, looking up at the sky. She then gazed down and tapped Halsey on the shoulder. The Doctor looked to her and saw her pointing. Following the woman's indications, to be met by the sight of a cave entrance. So, literal cave, Halsey thought. She picked the device out of her pocket again and hummed, then nodded, seeing that the indicator was flashing in that general direction.
Halsey hummed, then said, "Lieutenant, give the Admiralty and FOB the news. We're going in."
"Affirmative," The man nodded, then cued his mic and said "Command, command, this is Third Platoon. Be advised:We are entering a cave system and may lose radio signal. Will report when we get to a clearing or when we're out. If we're gone for longer than three hours, advise you prep SAR... Third Platoon, over and out..." before hefting his assault rifle and shouldering it.
Halsey gave a nod, drawing her pistol and turning on its flashlight. Rosie looked to the Lieutenant, "Should we leave a rearguard?"
"Could be an idea. Stavrov, take six of ours and hold your ground here. The rest of us will push through into the place. If shit hits the fan and you can't get a hold of us, send a runner or come to us," The Lieutenant ordered. Stavrov gave a nod, grinning, before picking out her men. Ikari was also picked to stay behind, seeing as the kid had a Sniper Rifle and that would do absolutely jack diddlee fuck-all in the middle of a cave.
Entering the cave, Rosie and Delilah took point, blade, pistol and shotgun at the ready. The grey walls of the cave flashed as light washed over them, the squad continuing their advance through the two-person wide tunnel. Halsey sat in the middle of the formation with the Lieutenant, while Ivanov and another Marine brought up the rear. Richard watched as the doctor held her pistol with one hand, using it more as a glorified flashlight than a gun.
He asked, "Any idea what kind of artifact we're looking at, doc?"
"None," Halsey replied, "All I know is, it is giving off a strong enough energy reading to be received by both the ships in orbit and our planet-side sensors, which means it is something important..." and she looked at the device again. As they trudged on through, the doctor wondered for a moment just what it was exactly that was leading them here, to the land of the 'Dragon-Born'.
The place was far less terrifying than one would've thought. Few, if any in the squad had any sort of claustrophobia, so the most worrying factor was them marching through the narrow place, risking any sort of ambush that could come from an unknown section of the cave. Halsey, however, continued to guide them forth via the device, past a crossroads that led up into the mountain passes and deeper into the cave.
The pinging grew louder as they approached the place. Wisps of azure light shined through cracks in the stone, shimmering in a familiar, almost machine-like pattern on the walls themselves. Like a circuit board that surrounded them, the lines of light led to a central point, converging. The deeper they went, the brighter the place became, until the lights glowed to such a point they didn't even need a flashlight anymore.
Halsey spoke, "Stop..." before pushing her way through to the front.
She narrowed her lips, then nodded. Stowing the device back into her vest pocket, the woman approached the source of the light. Ahead, a geometric, perfectly smoothed-out wall of silver and blue sat, lights glimmering into symbols and various patterns of 'circuitry', an almost eerily beautiful image. A holographic display appeared in front of the doctor as Rosie and Delilah both approached, the latter with wide eyes.
"It's a fucking dead end with a hologram," Rosie murmured, "What now?"
Halsey hummed, then extended her hand gently to the hologram. The light flashed as her fingers grazed the hologram and, once her hand was fully set on it, the thing scanned it and whirred. To Delilah's and everyone else's surprise, the wall ahead slid apart, revealing the first seam. The Marines looked ahead, watching as the place opened up and revealed a room.
The 'room' was more of a giant hole in the ground. Walls lined with the iconography of the Forerunners, of the same architecture as the others, opened around them, with floors made of Forerunner plate and translucent metals through which even more of the ancient, dead aliens' iconography shined. Set up like a monastery of sorts, with tall arches and high ceilings, the building seemingly opened up at the top, the faint shimmer of the system's sun shining through the top.
Delilah murmured, "By the Gods..." as they strode inside, weapons at the ready.
"Hmm..." Halsey hummed, then gazed around. At the rear of the square-kilometer room, a light flickered. The device in her pocket began to scream at them, telling Halsey that the artifact they sought was up ahead, so, she ordered, "Everyone, on me. The artifact we seek is dead ahead..." before she thumbed the safety of her sidearm to off. The group advanced in a tight formation, weapons trained on the walls, inscriptions and any protrusion that looked the least bit 'off'.
The UNSC had encountered the by-now-infamous Promethean Constructs during the recovery operation to get the Master Chief back home from the Shield-World Requiem. Ranging from the standard Knight platform to various Armigers and combat mechs like the Crawlers, as well as support units like the Watchers, they'd given UNSC SPARTAN-IVs and Marines a run for their money. Since then, the UNSC learned to be a hell of a lot more careful in Forerunner areas.
Better to be safe than sorry, as Doctor Halsey had said multiple times since the SPARTAN-II Project's inception. The march forth continued as the Marines and Delilah looked around. The Warrior Bunny stated, "I've heard rumors of such places... Underground vaults, hidden from view, containing items of incredible strength. If one such item was ever found, it could turn the entire world on its head..."
She then looked to a concerned Halsey and said, "It was mostly childhood stories told by the Den Mothers in our villages... Still, to see things as told..."
"So, there's a slight rumor of these places," Halsey murmured as her mind was already working up theories around the Gods. That would certainly make sense, that the 'gods' would be people affected by Forerunner technology, perhaps, if not owners of some of the most powerful Forerunner items on the planet. Luck of the draw, honestly, the good doctor thought.
Ahead of them, lay a pedestal. Floating above that pedestal of metal and glass was a glimmering, azure item in the shape of a gemstone. Its many faces reflected light and Forerunner symbols danced on them. Halsey spoke, "It looks like a Slipspace Shard... Similar to the one encountered during the early stages of another operation..." and she stepped up.
Extending her hand, the doctor attempted to grab the item, but was instead grabbed by Richard. He said, "With all due respect, doc... Should we mess with it?"
"Yes," Halsey replied, "This facility seems to lack the majority of defenses you'd see in normal Forerunner bases. Else we would've been met by either Prometheans or Sentinels," and she freed her hand. Pushing forward, she extended it. The moment she did, however, a small field of electricity flashed and her index finger was zapped. She quickly retracted her hand as it turned numb, then said, "But there is a defense... A shield. Strange. Seems this Slipspace Shard is active."
"So it's shielded," The Lieutenant remarked, "What does this mean for us, doc?"
"It means we will have to talk with the Dragon-Born to allow us to examine this piece of technology with a squadron of scientists..." The woman remarked, then hummed and said, "Lieutenant. Tell your squad we're coming out-" and she cut off as they heard the thunder of steps and the rattle of the UNSC's standard-issue gear and chest rigs. Stumbling inside, one of Stavrov's Marines looked up at them, a smile on his face.
As it seemed, the UNSC would not to have to go looking far for the Dragon-Born, as they were called by Delilah. Sitting before them, several men and women clad in steel plate armors, with blades, bows and arrows and with non-human traits that varied between the person stared at the UNSC Marine unit that was currently keeping their weapons lowered.
Their leader was a blonde-haired girl, partially human, with her cheeks covered by scales, sharp ears and a pair of golden horns poking out of the top of her head. The dragon wings were folded behind her and her three-jointed legs were also covered with plate and hard-looking scales. Her armor was more ornate, with scale-like patterns in the silver steel of the breast-plate and a seeming gem stuck just below the plate that protected the chin. Her hands bore trimmed claws and even more golden scales that turned into human skin near the middle of the forearm.
She narrowed her emerald eyes at the UNSC soldiers, but saw no errant aggression from them. The moment she saw Delilah marching out, her eyes grew wide and glimmered. She smiled, then said, "Delilah! We had thought our territories breached by Imperials coming to seek us out and kill us for cooperating with your kin! Thank goodness, the patrols found nothing but you."
"Jeanne?" The Bunny Warrior raised a brow, "We were wondering where your patrols had gone..."
"Thank the Gods, you live..." This 'Jeanne' said happy, then gave her a once-over, "And... You wear the uniforms of the outsiders..." and quirked a brow at her seeming friend, "That would explain the Empire's sudden declaration that your Tribes had been declared Excommunicated... Have you sided with these newcomers, then? Because your people have mentioned them coming."
"'tis a long story, my friend," Delilah nodded. She looked over to the confused Doctor Halsey and Lieutenant Samuels and said, "Lieutenant, Doctor, this is Jeanne. Commander of the Dragon-Born's border guards and the fiefdom of the Dragon-Born. Jeanne, these are Doctor Catherine Halsey and Lieutenant Richard Samuels, belonging to the sky people."
"Greetings," Halsey waved.
"Howdy," The Lieutenant smirked.
"We serve as an early warning system for the Empire," The woman noted, "And we pay our fair share of gold. In return, they let us do as we wish... My family has been the lords of this place since the dawn, so we were able to bring many of our fellow Dragon-Born here, despite the Empire's best attempts at slaughtering the only other warrior race that could oppose them early on."
"Are we still up for trading, Jeanne?" Delilah raised a brow, "Queen's inquiry."
"Of course. We will never abandon our partners in trade. You have to tell us about these new people," She motioned to Halsey and the others, "We can talk here or go to our village near by the border, if you wish."
"The village would be best," Delilah remarked. The Dragon-born's leader nodded, waving off the men and women and showing them to follow. Despite her wings, the leader of the Dragon-Born chose to stroll forward on her own two legs. She looked to the Doctor, then waved her forward, noticing the slight burn mark on her hand. She hummed, then lifted said hand and whispered something.
The tips of her claws glowed lilac for a moment, followed by a white light forming in her palm. Though small, it was enough to seemingly heal the blemish. Halsey looked at her hand, surprised, clenching it as the sense in her nerves returned, then she gazed upon the woman and raised a brow. Jeanne smiled, then said, "Healing magic. It is not much in terms of power, but for something as benign as a burned finger..." She shrugged.
The Dragon-Born's village was entirely different to the Warrior Bunnies'. Wherein the latter maintained a look of a semi-nomadic people with houses built of wood and other easily-accessible, local materials that could be salvaged if the need arose, the Dragon-Born seemingly held building high and strong in high regard. Stone buildings lay ahead of the group, tall as all hell. Some had jump-off points from where the Dragon-Born could outstretch their wings and fly. Many of them did, too, seeing as there were about a dozen men and women of the tribe flying high, some more lizard-like than the others, though all seemingly still maintaining a semi-humanoid look.
To put everything bluntly, while the Warrior bunnies resembled a combination of nomadic peoples and raiders, with much of their influence seemingly taken from the Vikings in everything including buildings, the Dragon-Born resembled more your standard European Medieval Kingdom in everything, including equipment. Some of the villagers eyed them warily as they marched in, but eased when they saw Jeanne and her party with them.
"If the Warrior Bunnies are shock troops," Rosie murmured, "These folks are Airborne."
"In every sense of the word," Laughed Ivanov, leaning his MG on his shoulder.
"Come. We can talk at the tavern," Jeanne offered while locals greeted the folks with waves of the hand and smiles. As they walked toward the tavern, a rather large three-story building from which locals took off to various parts of the town that occupied the entire clearing, Jeanne looked to Doctor Halsey and said, "I can tell you do not speak our language by the movement of your lips, yet it seems like you do. How?"
"Universal translation apparatus in our helmets," The doctor replied, "They transmit our words through specialized systems that allow us to speak to you, similarly translating the words you speak to us in our ears."
"Intriguing. Such technology must mean you are a very advanced people," The girl remarked.
"You've not the faintest, my friend," Delilah smirked, "Or, well, you might have some, provided you believe your scouts' words of their aircraft."
"Ah, yes, those flying contraptions of yours, layered in armor," Jeanne smirked, "Yes, I've seen them myself. Awe-inspiring, that you humans managed to find ways to soar through the skies themselves without impediment?"
"We sought what we did not have," Remarked the doctor, "Your people are lucky to be born as you are."
The woman snorted, "Certainly so," and they entered the tavern. She waved to the bartender and raised raised both hands afterward. The man, also a Dragon-Born with a fair few scales covering his face, smirked and nodded, then started pouring beers. She motioned to the counter, then said to the bartender, "Keep it on my tab," as she sat down. The Marines gave cheers at that, each of them finding a seat close by as the bartender and barmaid delivered their drinks to them. The other patrons laughed at the boisterous cries of the soldiers, while the bards played their lutes, drums and flutes.
"So," Jeanne gripped her mug firmly, "What do you think we should speak about, doctor?"
"Whatever it is you wish. We are your guests, but you are free to ask a military unit that has entered your lands what it is they seek... Even though I am a researcher, not a soldier."
"And these men and women are your escort, then," Remarked the woman, with Halsey nodding. Jeanne stated, "Then that is what we shall speak about. Your research, good doctor. What does it entail and how may the humble Dragon-Born be of assistance to those who saved the Warrior Bunnies?"
"... Wait, you would open yourselves up to helping us just like that?" The woman raised a brow.
"Of course," The girl smirked, "Word of the slaughter of Prince Zorzal's armed forces tells enough. Your own magics, or technologies, I assume, helped seal the army's fate."
"That isn't the only thing you should assist them for, my dear friend," Delilah mentioned, grinning and taking a sip of the hardy ale that the bartender had brought to them. The Dragon-Born commander raised a brow, seemingly confused, before Delilah pulled the half-finished mug from her lips and said with a smirk, "They scared the Apostle of Emroy to the point she has joined their ranks."
The entire place went quiet, a mug of ale dropping and spilling on the floor. The air grew thick with tension, while the Commander processed what she had just been told. She blinked, then looked to Halsey for a moment. Narrowing her lips, she gazed back to Delilah and asked a hesitant, "How...?" of the Bunny Warrior. It was clear there was a degree of trust between the two women.
Delilah's grin grew, "They dropped the Sky and broke a mountain."
Halsey felt the need to intervene at that one, stating, "A highly-advanced weapon of ours, known as a Magnetic Accelerator Cannon, or MAC for short. Miss Mercury warned us that, if we continued to assist and enlighten the Warrior Bunnies to our ways and technologies, the Gods would bring the sky crashing down upon us, to summarize what she said. We did so first, as a preemptive warning to miss Mercury and all her kin," and she took a sip from her beer. She set the mug down, stated calmly, "Technology. Gods shall be shown no mercy in the face of progress... And especially not when they threaten those we now consider our own."
It took a moment for the woman to process what she had just been told, but when it hit, Jeanne slowly turned to the table and began chugging her mug of ale down to the last drop. Breathing a sigh and letting the mug land with a hard thunk on the table, she murmured to herself, "Well... Giselle isn't going to be happy about this..." before turning to the Doctor and stating, "That'd be the Apostle of Hardy... And a fellow Dragon-Born."
"... Oh..." Halsey sighed, "We will deal with her and her own as they come. Miss Mercury has gone on a months-long trip to convene with her god. Should be back soon."
"Been here for almost two years," Rosie chuckled, "Can't believe it's been that long."
"Aye," He nodded, "Shore leaves were always fun to explain to the locals when we came back... Tyuule was always inquiring about everything. Makes me think one of these days we should take a delegation of Warrior Bunnies all the way back to one of our Colonies..."
"Queen pissed at you for taking some days off from teaching her English?" Laughed Stavrov, to which the Lieutenant shot her a glare while Delilah and the others, save for Doctor Halsey, chuckled. Jeanne, meanwhile, remained dumbfound at the claims of the soldiers. She turned to Halsey to ask what their real objective here was and Halsey explained that they were a research team. She gave the girl the whole spiel, including what they just found within the Dragon-Born's borders. The woman, meanwhile, seemed surprisingly open to letting them continue their research here, under the pretense that no Imperial force finds them. That might bring more trouble than it'd be worth, Halsey thought, so she agreed.
Still, Halsey thought about what the Lieutenant mentioned just now.
It wasn't a horrible idea.