AN(DISCLAIMER:POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD! Please skip over the AN if you don't wanna meet with SPOILERS):Okay, well, seeing as the PM function is probably a tad borked at the moment, to the point it doesn't seem to notify anyone beyond emails, Imma address a couple of reviews that bring up the same point:Kuribayashi possibly being aware of Halo. Just in case you folks wanna unfollow now or something. Doesn't feel fair to drag people along into this that may not wanna read my ideas in how a meta story should be done... And to everyone else, apologies for the AN.
Torsten, Zany and anyone else concerned about this still here? Okay. Heya!
For starters, I know what you guys mean. This stuff isn't easy to execute, but, without actually spoiling too much in case others are still reading this, It's a lot of explanations, but it is a planned out thing beyond "O MA GAWSH DERE BE HALO CHARACTER!" or something like that. More something... Concerning for both universes. At least concerning enough that research departments are gonna work on figuring out just what the hell happened to cause this situation. Whether you wanna stick around and read it to see how it develops or not, that's fine, can't exactly force people to read my stuff anyhow. I do it for fun.
Thanks for reading so far, by the way. I hope you enjoyed it! Now, onto the matters at hand.
UNSC FOB
Richard loaded the last bag into the back of one of the trucks. That one contained extra canteens and filters for if they needed to retrieve water later down the line. Beside that, command had tossed them a few trinkets here and there to trade with locals if they felt like it. The UNSC's GPS network was online and they'd finally adjusted for planetary interference, so they had a pin on exactly where the UN Peacekeeper Corps was for reference. Along the way, there were a few villages, a wide forest and a series of other semi-important things to jot down for a visit, like streams, entrances to valleys, the basics.
The Lieutenant then marched forth toward one of the 'Hogs and climbed onto it, taking the passenger seat again. Beside Platoon Three, Halsey had ordered a series of other scouts to move out into the wilderness as well, to make contact, to mark down Imperial defenses and give a clear outline of what the UNSC could potentially engage if they ever decided the Empire was worth more than being a footnote in their reports.
They were also ordered just recently to take in the first formed squad of a new unit. He turned to the left, watching as Warrior Bunnies hefting their own kit and supplies marched up to the convoy. A squad of about twelve girls, led by Delilah, would be joining the force. Aside from the UNSC-standard kit, the girls also kept close their supersized battle knives.
"Lieutenant," Delilah offered a nod, smiling, "Apologies for command putting us in your care like that. Queen Tyuule requested that I help the rank and file get their feet wet in the exploration business," and she tossed her own duffel with supplies inside. Delilah carried an M70A Auto-shotgun. A modification of the standard-issue shotgun of the UNSC military, it was an 8ga. beast meant to spread either slugs or pellets evenly among any of the unfortunate fucks caught in its crossfire. Beside them, base personnel ran.
Delilah herself wore a standard-issue camouflage BDU with the lighter armor kit, meaning no shoulder pads or any protection beyond the chest and helmet. Speaking of the helmet, they'd specially modified a bunch of them, maybe two or three thousand from the reserve arsenal in total, to have earholes through which the WB's ears could poke out. Hers also had a com system microphone stalk poking out from the left cheek plate and a pair of orange-tinted HUD goggles.
"It's fine, Dee. Better that we have more troops around. Plus, if we do meet the locals, I can't blame'em for wanting to see the locals, too," The man replied just as a bunch of other Marines ran past them. He hummed, looking at the troops running toward the landing pads, then murmured to himself, "Just what in the hell's the rush?" and he stopped a corporal from Tenth Platoon, asking him, "What's going on?"
"They're landing!" The man smiled happily, "Took'em a while to get here, but they're finally landing!"
"'They'?" The Lieutenant inquired, then looked up as the thunderclap of an aircraft braking in the lower atmosphere echoed. A black, heavily armored Pelican with stealth coating systems vectored its engine nacelles, powering the VTOL thrusters to the maximum to slow itself down as it arched in for a landing. The Lieutenant hummed, then grinned and looked to Delilah, "Oh, you girls won't wanna miss this... Third Platoon! Leave your gear in the trucks! We got some Heroes to greet!"
The Marines cheered and whooped as they set their kits aside and dismounted from the vehicles, marching forth toward the landing pads as midday struck and the sun burned brightest as it sat atop the blue dome. The Pelican touched down as the Marines and base staff gathered and formed up into lines, weapons slung on their backs and postures ramrod straight.
Delilah, awed, wanted to ask what could garner such respect out of the entire base when she saw Doctor Halsey walking onto the deck, a smile on her face. The Pelican's rear hatch began to open, somewhat startling the woman and her squad as she watched them descend. Clad in what the UNSC called the MJOLNIR Generation III Armor, or MJOLNIR GEN-III for short, a squad of four SPARTAN commandos descended, their weapons slung on their backs. To Delilah, they seemed like knights of yore, honorable warriors... And fierce ones.
The entire FOB snapped into salutes as the four, led by a SPARTAN in dark-green, rugged and battle-damaged armor, lined up and marched down from the landing pad. Their steps heavy, feet thundering against the concrete, the four SPARTANs marched up to Doctor Halsey and, in one swift motion, all saluted the woman. Delilah's awe was palpable, for she had read of the SPARTANs and their performance during the many wars the UNSC fought. They were the warriors that had saved mankind from the brink and protected her still.
And here they were, an elite SPARTAN unit standing right before them. Halsey saluted, then said to the SPARTAN in green MARK-VI armor, "There's no need to salute me, John. Fred, Linda, Kelly. I see you're all doing fine. Welcome to our little garden world," and she looked over to the right, to see Richard and his team already watching the SPARTANs and her with bated breath.
"Seems we've drawn quite a crowd," Kelly remarked, probably grinning behind her helmet.
"Anyone would want to see the ones who've saved mankind from the wrath of the Covenant countless times," Halsey noted, then added, "It is good you arrived. We've begun working toward a meeting with the alternate universe UN peacekeeping corps in an effort to start our diplomatic relations on the right foot... I will need you and your team for other matters. Matters pertaining the Empire and its hold on this continent."
"We'll be glad to help, ma'am," Fred replied from beside Chief. Halsey nodded, then arranged her labcoat and led the Spartans forward. With a single bark of an order from the Colonel, the people that had come to see the arrival of Blue Team had dispersed. The Lieutenant and his force now marched back to the vehicles they left behind, with Delilah mounting up with the rearmost section of the five-vehicle convoy alongside her soldiers.
"Lieutenant. Wait," Requested a familiar voice, causing him to turn to see who it was. Rory strode toward him, a devious smile on her face. She explained, "I wish to come to this first meeting between you and the newcomers as well, to meet them. They seem as interesting as your own troops to me," to which the Lieutenant hummed. He shrugged, tilted his head to the truck and walked to the leading Gauss 'Hog.
The transports rolled out of the FOB and down the beaten path, through into the village they used for trade and well beyond it, travelling toward the UN SPECREG forces' location to meet the newcomers in the middle, presumably. Richard cued the microphone as they reached a mountain pass area, then listened in as the voice of a pilot filtered through. The voice of a female pilot. "Third Platoon, this is SARACEN Squadron, SARACEN Lead speaking. We will be providing your air cover from here on. We're currently settled at ANGELS ONE and have MASTER ARM on SAFE. We'll let you know of any developments we can see from up above."
He gazed up to see the aircraft. Broadsword fighters flew in at around mid altitude. He replied calmly, "SARACEN Flight, Third Platoon, Lieutenant Samuels speaking. Appreciate you having our backs. Safe flight and let's get home. I'll buy the drinks. Third Platoon out," then slid the mic back into the holder. He listened for the reply, however, while looking up at the fighters. Three strike fighters, well-equipped for Air-to-Air. Seemed command was taking the possible threat of hostile airmobile fauna seriously.
The group rolled past a few more divergences from the beaten path that seemed to lead over into a new village or another direction. The valley itself was beautiful, vibrant with life. They could see animals strolling through the woods, birds flying around them and the likes. Aboard the truck, one of his own started playing a guitar they must've brought over from home in an alert rhythm.
Stavrov. Of course, she'd start singing...
He sighed, head leaned back against the padding of the car seat as they rolled forth and his rifle between his legs, barrel pointed at the floor and safety on. The GPS system was always reading their position and tracking the path they took toward wherever they were headed. As midday turned into three o'clock in the afternoon, the UNSC vehicle had rolled forward for just about three and a half hours.
Ahead of them, the Lieutenant noticed as he woke up, was a massive virgin forest. The Lieutenant hummed, then asked, "Just how far did we travel?"
"Several hundred klicks, sir," Replied the driver, "Forest ahead's been painted on the GPS as the midpoint between us and the UN troops. SATCOM can't pierce the canopy, but it extends a ways away to the left, right and ahead of us," and he gently veered. The Lieutenant blinked, nodded, then readied his assault rifle. He pulled up his radio and selected the convoy-wide channel, ensuring he was clearly audible.
Then, he said, "Alright, Third Platoon and attached Bunnies, we've got a thick forest ahead. Eyes open..."
... Within the truck, Rory hummed, looking out the back as they entered the forest. She smiled, then looked to the sleeping Stavrov and the other napping members of the crew as they began to wake after the Lieutennat's call.. Ivanov was the only one awake, tending to his LMG. He looked over to Rory, then asked in a whisper, "Something the matter, miss Mercury?" as he slid rounds into the ammunition belt.
"I know this forest... Or at least some of the people who inhabit it," She answered, leaning the halberd on her shoulder, "So, no, there's nothing wrong. It may even be a net positive."
"Got it," Ivanov nodded, then looked to Rosie, who had just properly woken up and said, "Send this up the chain."
"On it," The girl yawned. She radioed in, "El-Tee, be advised, Apostle says she knows the locals who live in this forest... Guess we're having another round of parlay."
"Aw, fuck me..." Sighed the Lieutenant, rubbing his eyes, "At least it's not gonna be with swords pointed at our throats, I hope..." and he though to himself that diplomacy was tough. Just layers upon layers of talking to people when a Marine wasn't really meant for chatter. He was meant for slaughter. Slaughter of foes that decided to fuck around with Humanity and were about to find out.
He sighed, then said, "Roger that, Rosie. Third Platoon, fingers off the triggers. If miss Mercury can get us passage without us getting shot, I'd be glad to get it."
As the vehicles rolled ever-forward, the Marines looked around at the tall trees surrounding them. The Lieutenant hummed, then radioed in, "SARACEN, you ladies and gents still in flight?"
"Affirm. We've got fuel for six more hours of flight, El-Tee," The woman replied, "Can't see shit past the canopy, but I guess we didn't bring any groundpounding ammo anyways..."
"Rog. Good to know," He replied, shouldering his rifle and scanning the trees, "Stay safe up there... Third Platoon, over and out..." before he stood there, thinking for a moment. He kept an eye on the motion tracker, finding only their IFFs and Rory's dot among the rank and file. Huh, so the UNSC had actually decided to give volunteer Warrior Bunnies IFF Tags. Nice to know.
He hummed, then noticed movement on his MT. Around them, nothing but the tall forest and shrubs. Small animals traversed the area ahead, while bigger ones kept their distance from the UNSC's motorcade, but they were still visible. From bears to even various, distant fantasy creatures that the Lieutenant and his team couldn't quite make out in the forestry.
He raised his hand, ordering a halt, before descending from his fighting vehicle. The rest of the convoy split into two, each stopping on one side of the road or the other to give better arcs of fire to the guns on the Warthogs. Infantry dismounted and formed a perimeter while they waited for what came next, with the Lieutenant leading them. He looked around, his weapon still lowered and on safe.
"What's up, sir?" Ikari asked as she joined him at the front with Rosie and Ivanov.
"Movement in the trees," He noted, then looked up to see some sort of structures in the distance. He hummed, then crossed his arms to his chest, pressing down on the weapon's but stock and keeping it pointed down. He smirked, hearing Rory step up, then said, "Think your friends are watching us from their treehouses? Or are they closer? Maybe in the shrubs?"
"You have the motion tracking technology," She remarked, a grin on her face, "You tell me, Lieutenant."
He smiled, then waved at the people ahead, seeing as they were clearly there. Several emerged from behind trees and shrubs, each of them with bows and arrows in their hands. They stowed said weapons and approached, then saw Rory and all realized that these folks were no threat. Or that they were friends. El-Tee didn't know what to say as he saw Delilah and her team also joining them at the front. She looked forward, then frowned and said, "High Elves..."
"Know them?" The Lieutenant asked.
"We haven't exactly been on good terms before the Empire annexed them. They attempted the same thing Zorzal has, but their numbers were too few compared to the thousands that the Prince marched at us... Y'know, before your troops decided that literal Scorched Earth was the best option for dealing with a massed Imperial Army that was retreating..."
"That..." he winced, then chuckled, "Fair enough... So, tensions?"
"Possible... I was really young when the Elves got annexed, so I didn't catch the fights. The ladies raising my were old enough to have been caught in the fighting, though. One of'em even had a wound from High Elf arrows that she managed to suture up, so it's been trained into us from birth that they aren't particularly the friendliest lot..." Delilah remarked, shifting positions, "Though we'll try to play nice..."
"Thank you," He nodded, then greeted the Elves with a handwave, smiling. What was clearly a man from among the group nodded to the Lieutenant, slinging his bow over his shoulder before the Lieutenant said, "Greetings. We're here looking for passage to meet a few of our friends just beyond this forest..." to which the man hummed. He looked between him and a nodding Rory.
He then spoke in the same local Latin dialect, "I understand..." and he eyed the Warrior Bunnies, "You may come talk to us... They need to stay."
The Lieutenant paused, frowned, then said, "Afraid that ain't happening," before Delilah had a chance to reply. While the Elf leader frowned back, Richard added, "These girls are here on their first mission with us. While I understand there's some bad blood between your peoples from some past conflicts, we're a neutral force in this place, just here to explore and they are with us."
"Hm..." The man seemed to glare at him for a moment, then said, "Wait here..." before turning.
"Well, things get fucky," Rosie noted, leaning her shotgun against her shoulder, "Do we need to talk with them about passing through here, boss?"
"I figure it's the only way not to have arrows shot at our vics. Most of our shit is open-top anyhow. And the truck only has a tarp on it..." He remarked, watching as the man stopped to speak to a group of surprised elders, presumably the leaders of the village. After a few minutes, the man returned, seemingly calm. Delilah, meanwhile, almost seemed to recognize him.
"You are free to enter the village if you wish to speak to us and wait for your friends here," He remarked, "Your Holiness," he then nodded to Rory.
"Somewhat unfair to keep us waiting, wouldn't you say, Hodolew Ray Marceau?" She quipped, smiling as she took the Lieutenant's right side, halberd leaning against her shoulder, "We merely came through to find some comrades of the Lieutenant's that are supposed to be arriving in this general area soon..." and she saw the man stagger. The Lieutenant looked to Rory and furrowed his brows.
"Couldn't you have brought him down a peg before he decided to go talk to his Elders or spew bullshit?"
"I wanted to see how you would handle the matter, Richard," She flashed a devious grin at him, "And, as expected, you held your ground... Come, now... Hodolew, how about preparing us some tea while I go greet your Elders?"
"Uhm... Certainly..." He nodded, then cast a sideways glance at the Lieutenant and the Bunnies. The group entered the village with their vehicles, rolling up to the middle of town and parking on the side of the road before dismounting again. The Elves, pointy-eared, spindly humanoids with blonde hair and blue eyes, looked upon them with surprise. Some of them, probably soldiers who'd fought against the Warrior Bunnies' previous generations, glared at the Warrior Bunnies.
Delilah didn't seem all that concerned as the group formed a perimeter around their vehicles again, keeping their rifles close. The Lieutenant and Rory, meanwhile, had to move with Hodolew or whatever his name was. As they marched up the 'stairs', or whatever one would assume the suspended bridge leading up to one of the treehouses was, the Lieutenant gazed around and murmured to himself, "First, bunny girls and the Apostle of some God of War. Now, Elves... The fuck's next...?"
"Uncertainty is part of the spice of life," Noted Rory as they marched up to what seemed to be one of the bigger houses in the trees. Clearly this guy's place. As they entered, they were greeted by the fresh scent of flowers blooming on one of the walls, as well as the sight of a young maiden asleep on one of the couches. Hodolew rolled his eyes, arranging his green garb, then approached the girl.
"Tuka. We've visitors..." He said to her, garnering a light groan from the girl as she, too, opened her azure eyes.
The Lieutenant had to admit, just about every girl he'd seen on this planet was a looker. From queen Tyuule to even Rory and now this Elven girl. She rose from her slumber, the blanket falling off her shoulders and revealing a similar outfit to Hodolew. She hummed, then greeted, "Hello..." and noticed the Apostle. She gasped, stating, "By the Gods... An Apostle?"
"It would seem she has befriended these soldiers," The man replied, standing to his feet, "Come, Tuka. I will need your help to prepare food and tea for them."
"Of course," She nodded, then stood up. Bowing to the Lieutenant and Rory, she said, "Welcome to our home... I am Tuka Luna Marceau..." and then moved on to help her father. The Lieutenant hummed, looking to Rory, confused, before Rory motioned for him to sit down on the couch. Unsurprisingly, having one of the local religious heads as part of your entourage seemed to have a lot of perks.
"So..." Hodolew hummed, handing them cups of tea, "What is it you seek to do again?"
"Just meet some friends beyond this forest," He noted, "Another army, similar to ours, is nearby, so we kind of just wanna wave and shake hands before we let our leaders chat each-other up..." And he took a sip of the herbal tea. Hodo seemed to pause for a moment, then hummed as he went to help his daughter. The Lieutenant looked to the Apostle, then said, "You sure he's chill?"
"He should be..." The girl replied, "Perhaps it has to do with the Fire Dragon."
"Yeah, that fucking thing..." He sighed, then leaned back to make himself comfortable just as Tuka and the man brought in food. While Holodew started talking to Rory, the Lieutenant started tasting what seemed to be freshly-baked bread and a few other items, like venison and smoked pork of some kind or another, perhaps even boar. As Rory chatted up the elderly Elf, Tuka seemed to be examining the Lieutenant while he ate. His posture, his way of being, generally just him being who he was while 'off-duty'.
He hummed, looked over to her, then watched her shy away. Turning back to continue eating, the Lieutenant flicked on the com system and the moment he did, his eyes grew wide. Standing to his feet, he looked to Rory and said, "We've got trouble..." before taking his AR off safe and rushing out. The Marine dashed down toward the Convoy, where his Marines were already prepping to counter what was coming.
"Identified the fucking target! It's huge! A giant-ass red lizard's flying our way and it's... Belching out fucking fire all over the Forest... Jesus Christ almighty..." SARACEN Lead's voice echoed from the vehicle radios, "We're gonna engage it with AIMs only if it comes close... Lieutenant, suggest you start getting those people the hell outta there! Don't care how!"
"Fuck..." The Lieutenant murmured, "Heard you SARACEN flight! Disengage if shit gets too hot up there! Rosie! Start talking to these people! Tell'em we gotta get them out of here!"
"Sir!" Rosie nodded, then called out to the people, her translator system online, "Everyone, there is danger coming! We need to evacuate right now!"
"What is going on?!" demanded Hodolew, looking at the Lieutenant, "Why are your soldiers so panicked!?"
"A fire dragon's on its way here!" He replied, causing several people, including Tuka, to gasp. Rory looked to the Lieutenant and he looked back at her, stating, "Our air assets are engaging it..." and he heard the thunder of jet engines overhead, followed by the distant noise of thirty-five millimeter autocannons and missile explosions. He said to Rory, "And it's close if those blasts are anything to go by!"
"I understand..." Rory nodded, "Hodolew, get your self and your daughter ready for travel. Tell as many of your archers and people as you can... We will evacuate you."
He hesitated, looking to Delilah and seeing her staring up at the sky. She noticed the man was staring, then marched up to him and said, "This is no time to think about old wounds, archon Hodolew Ray Marceau, Warrior of the Forest of Willows... Our peoples' shared past matters little to the survival of everyone here! We can worry about our own errors later. Right now, if you want your child to live, you must come with us."
The man paused, narrowed his lips, then looked to a frightened Tuka as she readied her own bow, before turning to say something to Delilah. The radio, however, cut them off, with one of the pilots calling out, "SARACEN LEAD is bingo on ammo and two ain't too far behind! We shot everything and the kitchen sink at this motherfucker, our AIMs barely stunned him and the thirty-fives with HE just ain't cutting it! The FUCK kind of scales does this piece of shit have...? Oh, SHIT! THIRD, IT'S ABOVE YOU!"
And as the group gazed up at the sky, they saw it. Burning gold eyes with slit, narrowed pupils stared down at them. Layers of organic scales, peppered and scarred by the shells the UNSC aircraft overhead had fired at it. The sheer menacing presence of the titanic creature was amplified by the gusts of wind its massive wings caused. Richard's heart sank...
What could they do now...?