Chapter 15

Guest- I guess we could do that. Though they'll need to make their own custom Mobile Suit for that to work, which may actually be best since the Spartan suit is bulkier than a UC Gundam Pilot suit. Although I don't think the last reason is needed because he can easily get used to the controls of a Mobile Suits. I mean he can literally practice with the Guncannon, Guntank, and Gundam if Bright allows it. Or, you know, just steal a Zeon Mobile Suit and then practice with that.

ZILLAFAN- That's harsh. Very harsh. Oh well.

Warmachine375- I think it already did get out of hand with just how persistent you've been regarding the topic. It's like you refuse to let anything happen to Chief that you don't like, which is not your intention. You just don't want him to act out of character.

Yeah, to the point that you neglect important information it seems. Must be really excited about it. Almost childlike. The type that makes you smile.

You'll see in this chapter what they do.

Robo Reader 21- I mean, I can still do it. I just thought it would make sense for him to get along with the cook because that guy is seemingly the only adult in the White Base past their twenties.

I wouldn't say underestimating Luna Titanium. More like not knowing the tensile strength of the armor and even then, it's still a viable concern. Do you know how easy it is to kill tanks, even with an Active Protection System? Apparently not that hard for those that know what they're doing. At least that's what I've been told. Unless you think sending a single thing with powerful armor alone is a good idea no matter what, which I don't think you do. You just did that to point that out, I think, which I appreciate.

Alright, the Banished reasoning was changed thanks to you. Keep doing what you're doing. Seriously, keep doing it. You're honestly the only one that actually doing it.

It's not Forerunner buildings. They're the Banished buildings that were in the explosion.

Huh, weird. I don't get it. That was likely just retcon because he likely was meant to be a background character and nothing more.

Jega

Jega 'Rdomnai gave a snort as he marched into the thick forest with the rest of the Banished and the humans that he got from the village. A few of the humans were complaining about the trek, but the Banished either threatened them to shut up or ignored them. They still, however, kept an eye on all of them just in case any of them tried to fight back against them. They may be humans, but humans have proven to be more resourceful than they appear.

Speaking of humans, their guide was very cooperative with his demands. Perhaps it was because of the fact that they were holding the survivors of her village hostage and that they'll kill them if she didn't lead them to their base. The base that was with them when that explosion occurred. Not only did that base hold additional weapons they can use against whatever humans or other entities that may interfere with their objective, but it also contained valuable equipment they may need to survive. He had asked the humans if they took anything else from their base. They said they took a few odds things here and there like the crates, but they couldn't take everything. There were even a few rooms that they couldn't access for a wide variety of reasons. Satisfied with the answer, Jega ordered her to keep moving toward the gray buildings and answer any of his remaining questions without complaint. If she does, she'll receive a reward along with her fellow humans.

Of course, that reward was a quick death. The Banished have no need for these humans. Contrary to belief, they do have humans under their ranks as Atriox, their founder, believed that, as long as they contribute to the overall goals of the Banished, anyone is welcomed within the organization of raiders/mercenaries. However, they are a rarity for several reasons. The first reason was the Human-Covenant War. The humans suffered greatly because of the war, losing hundreds of worlds to the Covenant onslaught. As a result, many humans were antagonistic towards former members of the Covenant, regardless of their role within the religious government. The second reason was that the harsh and forced servitude towards the overall goals of the Banished made enrollment unappealing to most humans besides the most ruthless and dangerous, like criminals or mercenaries, which ironically were the type of people that most Banished were looking for. As a result, very few humans were within the Banished and sometimes suffered from dislike and contempt from the other races due to the Human-Covenant War as well. Though, Jega heard and knew of a few legions that were led by humans and were held in begrudging respect by several Jiralhanae Legion Masters.

Jega, himself, cared little for humans. Though he held a personal hatred for any and all Spartans, he was willing to work with them so long as they were of some worth to the Banished. This was something that his old friend, Escharum, disliked.

The old Jiralhanae despised humanity to the point that he declared the eradication of humanity once he assumed control of the Banished when Atriox was killed after a final confrontation with Cortana that damaged Zeta Halo, rendering it temporarily unusable as a weapon. Jega respected his friend, considering him a fine leader and tactician, but he found the Jiralhanae's want to eradicate humanity for Cortana too far.

The reason that he wished for humanities destruction was not only because of the Human-Covenant War, where millions of Jiralhanae died, both during and after the war but also because it was a human-created AI, Cortana, that had destroyed Doisac, the Jiralhanae homeworld and where a significant portion of the Jiralhanae species resided.

Jega had no idea why the AI had chosen to destroy Doisac. He understood that the Banished continued to fight against her and her Created, something that seemed to displease the AI from what he heard, but destroying a species homeworld? That was an error in judgment.

He assumed she did so because Jiralhanae respected strength from all sources, be it martial, social, or even sexual strength. Many Sangheili that dared to study the reasoning behind Doisac's destruction believed she thought it would cause the Banished to surrender, either because of the show of strength or because of the distress and sorrow that will come when they realize that their actions caused the destruction of their Jiralhanae home planet. A plausible theory, but one that obviously backfired if that was Cortana's intention.

Those Jiralhanae that survived Doisac's destruction, whether it be because they were off-world when the event occurred or because they were on one of the few colonies that the Jiralhanae control, were instead enraged with Doisac's destruction and joined the Banished or any other organization that would accept them if it meant they could get revenge on Cortana. This, in turn, bolstered the power of the Banished and enabled them to mine whatever precious resources they can get from Doisac's remains along with its moon without fear of reprisal from the Jiralhanae. Ironically, Doisac's destruction was more of a boon to the Banished than it was a detriment, though those who thought so wisely kept it to themselves lest they be killed by enraged Brutes that mourned the loss of Doisac. Something that Jega can't blame them for as he knew many Sangheili would react the same if what happened to Doisac happened to Sanghelios, the homeworld of the Sangheili.

Humming to himself, Jega soon thought of his old friend and how his extermination policy towards humanity would have been a danger to the Banished.

Atriox held the Banished together on account of his open to all policy to all races, regardless of a species' enmity towards another race. To Atriox, genocide and revenge were petty and gave no one but short-lived satisfaction. To the Warmaster of the Banished, all that mattered was gaining power for himself and the Banished as a whole. Vengeance and genocide, in his mind, were pointless and would see useful resources destroyed or discarded rather than being incorporated to further enhance the Banished. A philosophy of utter pragmatism. One that Escharum had forgone because of his hatred of humanity. Though he wasn't sure because Escharum was actually the mentor of Atriox himself, Jega believed that there was a possibility that Atriox would kill his mentor for what he did to the Banished forces on Zeta Halo along with his beliefs that would endanger the core principles of the Banished.

Ridding himself of that train of thought, Jega watched as their human guide tripped and fell to the ground, yelping in pain. Growling at this, Jega hoisted her up and forced her to walk, uncaring of her injuries. The woman tried to walk but fell down to the ground in pain. Seeing this, Jega growled again and demanded to know what was the problem.

"My leg. I think I sprained it." Said the woman as she held her left leg. Scoffing at this human, Jega grabbed her by the neck and asked how much longer until they arrive at their destination. When she replied that it'll be a few minutes, Jega thought about the situation. He then looked at their environment, seeing how dense the jungle was and how easy it was to be lost without a proper guide. Growling a bit before speaking.

"Then you can need to make this trip with assistance." Said Jega as he hoisted her up again and placed her over one of his shoulders, causing her to yelp. "Do not complain to me about your position or how uncomfortable this is or I will find someone else to guide us." The woman closed her mouth upon hearing that before nodding. She then continued to guide Jega and the Banished to their location. As they marched, the woman spoke.

"Thank you for carrying me." Said the woman as she looked at Jega's right eye, causing it to look at her. "I didn't think that you would do this."

"Do not presume to think this act changes what you are human." Said Jega as he noted the slight appreciative tone from the human woman. "You are an asset to the Banished and nothing more. Do not speak to me any further unless I speak to you first, which will happen now." The woman, hearing the threatening voice behind Jega's tone, complied. "Good. Now, what is the governing entity for your race?"

Few Minutes later

"Here we are." Said the guide, whose name Jega never bothered to ask as she was a dead woman the moment she became useless, as she finished leading the Banished to a heavily devastated forested area with multiple dead Banished bodies and wrecked buildings, some of which were partially buried in the dirt. "This is where we found most of you. Some of you had landed near our village while others were found scattered around the forest. There could be more of you out there. Though I think they won't last long with the Federation and Zeon in the area." Jega hummed at that, processing this information while he put her down to examine the wreckage.

Upon seeing the buildings before him, Jega saw that the buildings were the same buildings as those that served as the battleground between the Master Chief and the Banished before that explosion engulfed them all. Humming at this, Jega saw that the human has reached the end of her usefulness. Not only has she led them straight to the remains of their base, where they can scavenge it for anything of use, but she has also informed him of the governing entity of humanity at the moment. Or rather two.

It seems that there was a civil war going on between two of humanity's most powerful governments, or at least he assumed them to be the most powerful as they were the only ones fighting in the war, which left humanity decimated. Both of whom were in the area, fighting a guerilla-style war with each other. While she didn't give exact details on any of this, in fact, she only told very basic information about the war and the two governments in the first place, the information she provided was enough for Jega to be rid of this human and her ilk without feeling a hint of regret at the loss of whatever else information she had on her. Not when he could easily get it via scouting. Still, she was useful enough that he'll give her and her people a quick and relatively painless death.

Giving orders to his fellow Sangheili in their tongue, Jega ordered his men to give the humans quick deaths. Upon hearing those orders, his men quickly activated their energy swords and began killing the humans before they could respond. Jega as well did this with their guide by his metal arm and activated the energy blades before swinging at her neck, decapitating her. As her head and body hit the ground, Jega turned to his fellow Banished and spoke.

"Scavenge what you can from the base." Said Jega as he addressed his fellow Banished. "Send our best scouts to not only find more of our men but also to be on the lookout for more humans. I do not care if they're affiliated with this Earth Federation, Principality of Zeon, or not at all. We will not engage until we have garnered enough resources and found a suitable place to make a base of operations. Is that understood?" Some Jiralhanae grumbled at this, along with a few Kig-Yar, but otherwise, everyone obeyed his orders.

While Jiralhanae and Sangheili officers were either organizing scavenging parties for their own wrecked buildings or organizing scouting parties, Jega thought of how this all came to be and if this was a sign of something.

Meanwhile

Zeta Halo

"The operation has been done as I told you." Said a Jiralhanae with black and white armor made out of an assortment of materials. The same one that had triggered the weapon that sent Master Chief and over a hundred Banished to another Universe. He was currently speaking to a holographic projection of another alien, but one that was more crustacean than any other member race of the Banished. Wearing red armor that enabled it to float, the alien flapped the mandibles around its mouth a bit at the words of the Jiralhanae. "The Master Chief is not an individual that can be defeated through strength in numbers or technological prowess. He has proven countless times that he must be defeated through an opponent of equal skill or through decisive tactics and planning. Countless foes can attest to that, including Harbinger."

"Harbinger was felled because she was not protected by her own people and was forced to rely on yours for protection." Said the alien. "If she had her own people protecting her, she would still be alive and this Master Chief would not force us to waste resources to help you be rid of him, Atriox." The now-named founder of the Banished just snorted at that.

"If you truly believe that, then you are a fool." Said Atriox bluntly. "What humanity has in place of advanced technology and physical prowess, they make up for in will and ingenuity. They are a race to be respected. Harbinger failed to do so and paid for it with her life." The alien tightened its mouth in frustration at Atriox's insistence on the danger of a single individual. How could such cause so much trouble for such a large force? It didn't understand. Regardless, it was ordered to obey Atriox and seek his help in ensuring the full return of its people, the Xalanyn.

Fortunately, Atriox was willing to assist in doing so, provided he gained something to benefit from the effort. Which, much as the Xalanyn disliked, they must do so as he was the reason that they were all free from their unjust imprisonment at the hands of the Forerunners. Hence why it was talking to the Jiralhanae. It was made the liaison of the Xalanyn to the Banished, specifically Atriox. To help relay what messages and wants the Warmaster of the Banished wanted from the Xalanyn and how they could do so.

The first thing that this Atriox had asked if it was assistance in removing this Master Chief from Zeta Halo. Which it accomplished through the technology of the Xalanyn combined with its own powers. Now Atriox was informing it of the mission's success before changing the subject.

"Is it possible that the Master Chief survived your weapon?" Asked Atriox as he looked at the Xalanyn, who called itself Speaker as he, at least he assumed the Xalanyn was he based on the voice being masculine, served as the liaison between the freed Xalanyn and the Banished.

"It's possible." Said Speaker as he addressed Atriox. "The device was never meant to kill individuals. Rather it was designed to transport individuals. It's based on technology that even we Xalanyn struggle to understand. It's because of this that I think it's wise to wait a few days before announcing the death of this Master Chief. It would bore ill for us all if he suddenly returned alive if what you described of him is accurate." Atriox gave a grunt of agreement at that before speaking further.

"If he did survive, then those Banished that were within the explosion also survived as well." Said Atriox.

"That is reasonable to assume." Said Speaker as he looked at Atriox. "Do you wish to retrieve them?"

"No." Said Atriox, a surprising Speaker. "If they survive then they may have found a new potential gain for the Banished. A gain that may help advance our own ambitions, including yours. As a result, I want you to find out not only if they and the Master Chief survived, but also find a way to both communicate with them and send reinforcements to them if I deem it necessary." Speaker blinked at that before nodding.

"Very well." Said Speaker. "I will need to be at the site in order to fulfill your request. May I ask for additional guards and forces to be sent to protect me while I do your work?"

"Done." Said Atriox as he looked at the Xalanyn.

"Good." Said Speaker, satisfied. These Banished may be primitives, but they were still useful. Especially since the warriors of his people were still recovering from the amount of time they spent as prisoners to the Forerunners. "It'll take time, but I believe I'll have results at the, what you call, monthly cycle."

"See that you do." Said Atriox before receiving another transmission. "I have to end our meeting now. The site will be protected by the time you arrive." With that, Atriox ended the call with Speaker before answering the other transmission. Seeing a Sangheili hologram appear before the bridge of his ship, Atriox began to talk with the Sangheili regarding operations against the remaining human forces on Zeta Halo as well as finding a way to communicate with other Banished forces throughout the galaxy in order to bring them to the ring and ensure their victory on the ring.