Chapter 23

Unsung Senpai- I honestly love Halo lore, even the post-Bungie stuff. Honestly, the only things I don't like in post-Bungie lore is just the switching of the antagonist from the Didact to Cortana in Halo 5 and wasting Jul Mdama. Everything else is fine. The lore, for me, ranges from okay to great. Just like Bungie stuff.

The Banished are, at the moment, essentially the Covenant but without their religion and the restrictions that come with it. Halo Wars 2, I think, showed that better than Halo Infinite with the new units they have. Even then, Halo Infinite still show instances of them being different than the Covenant.

Yeah, I probably should explain why Lilith Clawthorne from Owl House is here now that more than enough people are following/favoriting this story.

Okay, prior to putting up this story on this site, I made a bet with a friend. We made a stupid Age of Sigmar bet involving this story. The bet involved the Lumineth Realm Lords vs. the Blades of Khorne. The bet was either Serana from Skyrim would be Chief's love interest here or Lilith Clawthorne from Owl House. Or Thalyssra from Warcraft. Who would get picked for this role was decided by if my Bloodthirster of Insensate Rage performs either super well, super poorly, or average. For those that don't know, the Bloodthirster of Insensate Rage is a swingy model. He either does well or he doesn't. There's rarely a middle ground with that thing. Guess what he did. He killed the entire Lumineth Realm Lords list. Twenty-five hundred points. Just gone. Well, actually, it was just Teclis, his mortal wound-dealing archers, his battleline troops, and his other heroes. All he had left was two units of calvary. Then I got the double turn and things went even more downhill from there. And did I mention that it was just the Bloodthirster that did that? The rest of my army was hiding themselves to avoid the Mortal Wound dealing archers while my Bloodthirster got a box car charge and got all sixes in wounding and in the follow-up attack as well, which, just so everyone knows, caused him to deal four mortal wounds for each six to wound I roll. So yeah. That's why Lilith is here because a Bloodthirster of Insensate Rage decided to bring his A-game to an Age of Sigmar match and win me a game in the first battle round. We had such a laugh in that game.

But yeah, she'll have a role beyond being girlfriend to Master Chief. I'm not like those harem-doing guys on this site that just make girls fall in love with the protagonist, whether they be an OC or not, just because they do this one thing, look attractive, or be super nice to them. That ain't how I roll. Or at least how I want to role.

Robo Reader 21- Probably the final version. They'll probably get there after Odessa Day. Gives them time to both find a means of transport to take them there and get used to their new toys.

Dragon lord Syed 101- Yup, especially when the Banished confront the White Base. Eventually.

RedRat8- Perhaps. Perhaps.

10/6- Updated because of Robo Reader wants everything to be perfect or at least his version of perfect.

Master Chief

Master Chief awoke from his slumber quickly and without delay. Having slept in his armor, Master Chief got up from the portable cot that had been on the Pelican prior to his mysterious arrival to this alternative universe. Getting on his feet, he folded the cot up, and placed it in the storage areas above the Pelican's right-side seats, before opening the hanger bay doors of the Pelican and walking out. As the doors closed once he got out of the Pelican, Master Chief was walking out of the White Base's hanger and towards the Mess Hall for something to eat.

As he walked, people were getting out of his way. As much as people got used to him, they still gave him a wide berth as necessary. Still scared of him and his appearance. It also didn't help that he never interacted with any of them during off-duty hours.

Upon arriving at the Mess Hall, he saw Fernando eating along with Lilith. Besides them, there were a few teens gathered around one side of the Mess Hall, centered around Kai Shiden and Ryu Jose. The two mentioned pilots were talking to everyone around them about what they heard last night from Lilith and Master Chief. No doubt everyone on the ship will know soon about the Banished and the existence of aliens and alternate universes. They only stopped when they saw Master Chief entering the Mess Hall.

"Well, if it isn't the guy from an alternative universe." Said Kai with a smile as he looked at Master Chief, who looked back. Ryu jabbed at Kai with his elbow for that before giving Chief an uneasy wave.

"Hello, sir." Said Ryu with a hesitant smile. He was still recovering from what Lilith and Master Chief told him last night. It was just so shocking. Alternative universes? Aliens? All of this was way above what he originally signed up for when he joined the Federation Armed Forces as a military cadet. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Fine." Said Chief simply before going over to the cook to get something to eat. The cook, a plump man that seemed to be the only Federation soldier on the ship that was past his twenties, gave Master Chief his morning meal. Like everyone else on the ship, the cook, Mr. Tamura, was a bit weary of Master Chief on account of his armor and the fact he never took it off. Heck, he didn't even eat with everyone else, he just took his meals and left the Mess Hall to eat on his airship, further unnerving the man. Nonetheless, he served the Spartan his food. Upon receiving it, Master Chief gave him a nod of thanks before leaving the Mess Hall. As he was about to leave, Lilith spoke up.

"Wait!" Yelled Lilith, catching Chief's attention along with everyone else. Once he turned his head towards her, Lilith spoke. "Shouldn't you stay and eat with everyone else? I mean, you're a part of this ship and crew now. Wouldn't it help them be more relaxed around you if you stay and eat here with them instead of eating by yourself?" Chief, upon hearing that, shook his head.

"No." Said Master Chief simply before leaving the Mess Hall, disappointing Lilith. Once he fully left, Kai spoke up.

"Man, that guy acts so much like a robot." Said Kai before looking at Lilith and Fernando. "How the heck do you guys put up with that? The guy is a complete robot in literally everything! Eating. Talking. Even standing, the guy acts so robotically. Is that guy a robot or something because he certainly asks like one no matter what he does." Upon hearing that, Lilith looked at Kai.

"He…he certainly gives off the impression, I admit." Said Lilith in agreement as the teens around Kai nodded their heads in agreement. "But I have seen the kind and caring heart that he possesses underneath that cold exterior. He may not show it to you all yet but believe me. He cares about each and every one of you and does whatever he can to ensure that you all live through this war. To protect you all from the horrors of this war." Hearing the sincerity in Lilith's words caused everyone to be silent, even Kai shut up when he saw the hint of respect and admiration that Lilith had for Master Chief. It was then that Fernando spoke up.

"Yeah, Lilith's got a point there." Said Fernando as he got up and went to Mr. Tamura with his empty meal tray. He was originally going to answer Kai's question, but Lilith stepped in before him. "Chief is one of those guys that you initially think is nothing but a stone-cold machine disguised as a human. But when you get close to the guy and stay around him long enough, you see the man underneath all that armor. You get to see the humanity within him. Trust me on that. Just give him time. I used to think he's nothing but a robot in human skin once, but now I see who he really is and what he's really like." Upon hearing all that, Ryu decided to speak up in defense of Master Chief.

"They have a point, Kai." Said Ryu as he looked at his fellow pilot. "You and Amuro used to think that he was a waste of space, but now he's proven himself to be an increasingly valuable source of training for all of us. Who's to say he's not a nice guy underneath all that armor and cold exterior?" Kai grumbled at that, not knowing what to say against Ryu's argument.

"Yeah, whatever." Said Kai. "But I need to see it to believe it before I change my mind about him. Plus, he's not exactly doing much to change that opinion everyone here has of him right now." While Fernando didn't mind this much, as he too had to witness Chief's true self in action before he changed his opinion on the Spartan, Lilith was annoyed. She and Fernando both told them on who Chief actually was and that he was much kinder than he seems, yet Kai refused to believe their claims.

Taking a breath to calm herself, Lilith realized that she shouldn't be too upset over his skepticism regarding Master Chief's actual caring personality, plus she learned over time that he was quite a bit of a coward or skeptic with certain things so she shouldn't be too annoyed with him. Once she was calmed down, she told everyone that she was going to find Master Chief. She needed to speak to him about something anyway. After politely excusing herself, Lilith left the Mess Hall to find Master Chief, who was no doubt eating by himself inside the Pelican. Once she did, Fernando spoke up.

"Alright, I'm going to check up on Amuro." Said Fernando. "Kid has been through a lot last night and I want to check up on him. He's going to need a lot of help after what he's been through." Having been told by Chief and Lilith what had happened to Amuro on the island during the trip back to the White Base last night, Fernando wanted to keep an eye on the boy. No doubt he was suffering a lot from what he endured from the Banished troops wanting to eat him along with probably a few other things. And given the Banished general ruthlessness, he imagined the kid saw a lot of nasty things from them. Thus, he was planning on keeping an eye on him and acting if necessary to help the kid pull through whatever the Banished did to him on that island and probably from this war with this Principality of Zeon as well.

Both Ryu and Kai, knowing what Amuro went through last night, nodded solemnly as Fernando left. Once he did, Kai spoke up.

"You really think that big guy is nice underneath all that armor?" Asked Kai as he looked at Ryu, who looked back.

"Absolutely." Said Ryu with confidence. "I've met a lot of guys that seem tough on the outside during the academy, especially the instructors. But I later learned that there's more to them than their rough exterior. Trust me, Kai, there's more to people than just their surface-level personality. Give it time, as Fernando said, you'll see what I mean." Kai just grumbled at that before going back to his food.

"I doubt that." Thought Kai as he went on eating.

Meanwhile

Lilith

Hanger Bay

After getting out of the Mess Hall and making her way towards the Hanger Bay that contained the Pelican dropship, Lilith Clawthorne walked to the vehicle in question. Having known for a while that the Pelican was where Master Chief goes in order to eat his meals in peace, Lilith Clawthorne walked up to the rear hanger doors of the Pelican, knocked on them several times, and waited for a response from the Spartan. Sure enough, the doors opened, and waiting for her was the Master Chief, his helmet on. A tad disappointed that his helmet was on as she wanted to see his face for…well the first time since she met him, Lilith spoke up.

"How was your food?" Asked Lilith, deciding to try and start a conversation with the Spartan. It was a rather lame question, Lilith had to admit, but it was the best she had. She had no idea what the man liked beyond training the teens and anything involving military stuff.

"It was adequate." Said Master Chief. "I noticed that the salt in the meal along with everyone else was lower than usual, meaning we're rationing it."

"Oh." Said Lilith upon hearing that. "I see. I never noticed because I learned from the start of our voyage on this ship that I'm allergic to salt. Remember that? I stayed near a toilet for hours." Instead of getting the reaction, she hoped for, Master Chief just stared at her while giving a brief nod. Sighing, Lilith then got down to business. "You need to start making a better impression of yourself to the crew of this ship, Master Chief. They're still afraid of you, even after all this time, and it has to do with how you refused to interact with them beyond just training them to be better soldiers. They're not going to get used to you if you don't put the time in to interact with them and get to know them as individuals. Believe me, I made that mistake and it cost me dearly." While the woman was clearly scolding him for his lack of social interactions, Master Chief was not moved at all. Rather, he just gave her a response.

"It's against protocol for Spartans to fraternize with anyone during off-duty hours, including those they're supposed to protect." Said Master Chief simply. This caused Lilith to blink in shock before responding.

"B-but that doesn't make sense." Said Lilith as she looked at Master Chief. "Why would your superior forbid you to socialize with those that you're supposed to protect? Wouldn't getting to know them more help you in protecting them? Wouldn't that make them less afraid of you? To see the actual person underneath all that armor. To see what kind of man you really are?" While she made a compelling point, Chief just simply restated what he said.

"Spartans are not allowed to form anything beyond working relationships with other personnel. Especially non-military personnel." Said Master Chief as he looked at Lilith, who looked back incredulously. "The UNSC forbids Spartans IIs to fraternize with people unless stated otherwise or if the situation calls for it." Gaping at him as he explained his reasoning, Lilith sighed a bit before speaking up again.

"Well, I think being transported to another universe and our current situation warrants that fraternization." Said Lilith as she argued with Chief, scolding him. "These teenagers are scared and forced to fight for their very lives. They don't need to be afraid of us on top of all that. Can you…*Sighs*… can you at least try to show them your gentler side? The…human and gentle side that you showed me back at that island? When you saw that destroyed home?" Lilith's tone took a solemn tone as she remembered what they saw on the island last night after dealing with the aliens.

Last Night

Lilith

"My god." Said Lilith as she saw the destroyed home that Fernando had spotted while in the air. He had found the home after picking up Amuro and had told them about it while they were burying the human bodies. Upon hearing that, Master Chief and Lilith went to check out the home after burying the bodies. When they did, they saw the home and how destroyed it was.

The house looked like it had been attacked by both an acid storm and a magma storm at the same time. Followed shortly by looters that took literally everything that they thought was useful.

The house was filled with holes, some of which were blackened on account of something. Its door was ripped off by something large and strong from the looks of the hinges. Finally, she saw blood all over the ground of the house with drops of it seemingly leading back to the cave. Imaging the idea of corpses being dragged or carried to that cave to be eaten left Lilith feeling a bit nauseous. She had learned, during her brief time as a historian and during her time in the Emperor's Coven, that there were plenty of awful things that eat corpses, often undercooked and in ways that were disgusting to even read but to actually imagine it left her queasy.

And yet, despite that revulsion, the Master Chief walked into the house after inspecting everything on the outside. After a few minutes, Lilith went inside to check up on Master Chief, wondering if he found something of worth. Stepping inside the house, she saw the Spartan looking through a partially burned book, flipping pages after giving a look through of the pages he was on prior to flipping. Seeing that he was looking through the book intently yet went through the pages quickly, Lilith went up to him and asked what it was.

"A journal." Said Master Chief simply as he showed it to Lilith. "It's the journal of a soldier. One that seemed to belong to the Principality of Zeon. Or at least he used to."

"Really?" Asked Lilith, curious about this. There were only three adult bodies they buried. Two of which they knew to be Federation soldiers based on, what Master Chief claimed, their dog tags. So was there just one soldier of this Principality of Zeon here? "Is it just one person? Why was he out here alone?"

"He was a deserter." Said Master Chief simply as he gave the book to Lilith, having finished reading it all. As she read the book herself, Master Chief continued. "He left the military and raised a few children. Children that had their parents killed by his own unit apparently."

"What?" Asked Lilith in horror upon hearing that. "W-why would he do that? Why would he raise children of people he and his people kill?"

"He felt regret." Said Master Chief as he looked at the burned and destroyed home. It was small, but it looked like a fine home for a family. Before it was destroyed of course. "He must have felt shame and regret at what his people did. Who they killed. That shame was strong enough for him to desert his people and settle here with some children. Children that had lost their parents to his unit." As Master Chief said this, Lilith was looking through the journal, becoming more and more horrified and sorrowful at what she read.

"I…this man. He…he must have been filled with so much sorrow." Said Lilith as she read the journal. Even reading the journal, she can feel the sorrow and regret in the words. How much the man hated himself for what he did. And yet she saw that there was some happiness in them as well. Particularly from the pages that talked about the children that the man raised. It sounded like the man was happy about them and it made her sick to the stomach that they were all dead and eaten by a bunch of monstrous aliens.

"Yes." Said Master Chief as he spotted something shiny underneath some burned-out wood and rubble. Going over there, he inspected the wreckage and brought out some dog tags. Seeing the name, Master Chief identified who the man was. "He did. He wanted redemption for what he did. Atonement."

"And now he's dead and those children he raised." Said Lilith as she closed the journal, feeling upset that they didn't get here in time to save them.

"Yes." Said Master Chief as he held the dog tags. "Let's go back to the burial site. We have something to do there."

"What?" Asked Lilith upon hearing that. "Do what?"

"To give this man the respect he deserves." Said Master Chief as he held out the dog tags. 'His nation won't care about him. He's a deserter after all, but that doesn't stop us from respecting his decisions." With that, Master Chief led Lilith out of the house and towards the burial site they made for the dead humans.

Present

"You remember what you did when we went there, yes?" Asked Lilith as Master Chief looked at her impassively. "After you found that man's grave, this Cucuruz Doan, you placed his dog tags on top of a tomb marker you had me make for him and the others. You then engraved his name on it yourself along with the names of those slain children as well. You then gave them a moment of silence before calling Fernando to pick us up. That, as well as what you did before with those corpses, showed me that you aren't the cold-hearted soldier that your actions and attitude make you out to be. You're a caring person. Someone that respects life and wants to protect the innocent." She then walked closer to Master Chief and placed her hand on his armored chest, feeling the cold metal around his heart. "Someone that will do what he can to ensure that people won't is forgotten for the deeds they've done. Both good and bad. You showed that to me. Why can't you show that to these young men and women that need it more than me? An old bat." Master Chief just stayed silent to that, looking into Lilith's green eyes with his golden visor. He soon spoke a few seconds later.

"How much of that did you hear?" Asked Master Chief suddenly. Lilith blinked at this, but she soon heard the voice of Bright as the man made his way towards them. Having walked towards them while they were talking, Bright heard Lilith's speech fully.

"All of it." Said Bright as he looked at the two with Lilith backing away from Master Chief. "She has a point, you know. It will do more for morale if they know you as a person that wants to protect them of his own volition rather than a deal of mutual benefit. You don't even have to do much. You just need to talk to them. Let them get to know who you are as a person. That will do wonders for them."

"Understood." Said Master Chief upon hearing that. "I'll think about it. For now, I'd like for us to head back to the island we found Amuro. There's an old Zaku Mobile Suit we found there. Old, but usable. I believe it's in our interest to take bring it with us. For study." Bright, upon hearing that, sighed.

"Alright." Said Bright with some reluctance. "We'll head to the island to pick up that Zaku. You'll need to give us directions though."

"I'll be at the bridge shortly." Said Master Chief, feeling satisfaction at Bright agreeing with his request.

"You won't regret this!" Said Joy in happiness. She was eager to see the insides of a Zaku and wondered just how different it was from UNSC technology. Sure it was no doubt going to be inferior and she doubted she can interfere with it as well as Banished, Forerunner, and UNSC technology on account of technological primitivity, but the possible experience was exciting for her. Giving Joy a look, Bright excused himself so he can head to the Mess Hall, feeling a headache coming to him. What a great way to start the morning. Once he left, Lilith looked at Master Chief with a raised eyebrow.

"You hijack aircraft?" Asked Lilith with disbelief and curiosity. "In-flight?"

"Oh yes." Said Joy as she looked at Lilith with a smile. "He does it a lot. Especially with that grabbling hook of his."

"Grappling hook?" Asked Lilith as she looked at Chief. The Spartan simply showed her his grabbling hook attachment. Curious, she asked how he did it while observing the curious device, wondering how it helped him steal something in the air.

"Not here." Said Master Chief simply as he looked at Lilith, observing his grabbling hook with curiosity. "Unless you wish for us to steal one of our own aircraft."

"Uh…no." Said Lilith as she heard that. She then stepped away from Master Chief and gave a weak smile. "So…you'll consider my words?"

"Affirmative." Said Master Chief, causing her smile to grow bigger.

"Good." Said Lilith before taking her to leave. "If you need any tips for that, I'll be more than willing to help. I also need help in making friends, so we can learn together!" Master Chief just gave a curt nod at that before watching the Witch leave him alone.

"She's nice and adorable despite her age, don't you think?" Asked Joy as she looked at Master Chief with a smile. Chief just said nothing before opening the Pelican's hanger bay doors to finish his food. After that training for the White Base pilots and inspection of his weapons will occur along with taking that Mobile Suit they found on the island.