Doctor Halsey sat at her console, tapping away at a report that she was pretty much required to write. It was the first report of the New Year. Outside, Marines fired fireworks into the sky. They were, despite the Lieutenant's requests, unable to provide a shore leave for him and his platoon to take Her Highness out to see the world. Meanwhile, an ONI asset was stationed with the Dragon-Born, all of whom were keeping watch over the science team also present within that Forerunner mountain complex.
She tapped her fingers rhythmically onto the metal desk after she finished and sent the report, then brought up an image on her holo-computer. Sliding the windows off to the left and right and pulling in the most recent seismic activity readings, the woman hummed. Very minor movements of the planetary tectonic plates, nothing too noticeable to worry about.
She flicked up another window and pulled it close to her, pushing away several lines from a sensor reading of the atmosphere, then switching over to an energy reading of the planet, courtesy of a UNSC science vessel currently sitting high above the planet, next to the six warships and single UEG Representative vessel. She also plucked a report from the BattleNet about UNSC engagements against Insurgent forces and the soldiers of Sapien Sunrise, the latter of which had gained a mediocre, but still present amount of support for their work.
She hummed, then leaned back into her seat and sipped from a mug of coffee. Yes, a mug. Halsey had finally gotten her old ONI mug back, as well as her diary, for the operations on the planet. It'd only taken the bastards a couple of years, didn't it? So she thought as she continued working. She kept her eyes on sensor data and the communication systems, waiting for a ping from the research team.
She looked up, to see the Lieutenant marching in. With a salute and a smile, the man said, "Wanted to see me, doc?"
"Indeed... Have we made any progress in dealing with the enemy surveillance forces, Lieutenant? The Major's been telling me that they just keep on fleeing," Halsey raised a brow. The man nodded, retrieved his holo-tablet from his breast pocket and handed it to the doctor. As she read through it, she gave various nods of approval, looking to the Lieutenant. He'd certainly gotten more thorough in his reports.
She spoke again, "Thank you, Richard. How is the Queen?"
"Her English is top-notch, doc," He smirked proudly, "Should see her also teaching the others."
"Soon, perhaps, we will ditch the translation systems in our helmets and switch to talking to them normally," Halsey almost pleaded, "I hate those helmets so much..." and she sighed, rubbing her eyes, "Anyways, thank you again. Is there anything you wish to discuss in particular, or should let you be? I'm sure Her Highness is waiting for that approval from the UEG to visit Earth."
"We all are, honestly," The Lieutenant shrugged, "And there's nothing major I wanna talk to you about, ma'am. Rory's been buzzing about, though. Checking the troops, our kit, that kind of stuff. Clear enough we spooked her to death a while back," He then stated. Miss Mercury had been fairly attentive in terms of studying the equipment that the UNSC provided its troops. Unsurprisingly, she was somehow slightly surprised to see these kinds of 'dishonorable' weapons being so effective.
"Doctor!" Wailed the voice of the young warrior priestess.
"And speak of the Devil..." Halsey stood to her feet, watching as the Priestess strode in, her weapon leaned against her shoulder. She smiled proudly, stating, "Welcome, miss Mercury."
"It has certainly been a while..." Rory's smile remained, but it wasn't venomous or angry. Rather actually friendly, "Emroy was shocked to know of your people's power... He has guaranteed neutrality in any dealings between you and the other Gods and their Apostles, so there is that. He has, however, asked me to stay by your people's side to supervise you."
"That's a surprising turn of events," The Lieutenant noted in a murmur.
"Not at all. Emroy wishes to find out more of the warrior clans that came from the heavens, as do many of the other gods, so..." She replied, then smiled "Also... I have learned your language. Do not inquire how."
"Your 'god's blessing'?" Richard smirked, causing the Apostle to pout angrily. She clearly didn't like the man guessing how she got her stuff going. Honestly, it made some semblance of sense that a 'god', whatever that meant to these people, could grant them the ability to learn languages. Especially if they were the favored of their kin, such being the case with Rory herself.
The UNSC was keen on finding out about them and ways to defeat them if the need arose, however. Halsey was still tasked with providing ways to kill these so-called 'gods' and their demi-god-like Apostles. She was intent on figuring it out, but would keep that on the down-low for now. She sighed deeply, turning her mind to the matter at hand and stating, "Miss Mercury, would you mind if we ran some tests on you? Blood samples, reaction tests, that kind of thing."
"I would not mind. if you wish to see what I am made of, that is fine," She stated rather snidely, smirking. Halsey was about to make a comment in regard to her attitude, but a rapid three-tone ping on her computer stopped her. Bringing it up, she saw it was a comlink call from the research group. She looked to the Lieutenant, gave him a single nod and the man understood, saluting and dashing out.
Halsey responded to the com, stating, "Halsey here. Status?"
"Ma'am! This is Hanlon! R&D section near the Dragon-Born's cave! The Shard artifact has begun exhibiting strange properties!" The man reported over the radio. "We've got massive radiation spikes in the containment field, almost as if it's trying to tear open a hole through Slipspace somewhere! Geiger counters are going off the rails, too, but only near the pedestal."
"Keep your people away from the pedestal, doctor. Let's make sure nobody dies today... Keep observing it and-" She started, then gasped as she heard the deep thrum of a Slipspace drive powering on. She grabbed her tablet, linking the com to it, then rushed outside with the Lieutenant and Rory to see what was going on. Looking toward the Dragon-Born's territories, they saw it-a lance of burning white light shot into the clouds.
"What in god's name...?" Murmured Richard, "Ma'am, permission to take a strike team to disable that thing."
"Negative, Lieutenant. Doctor Hanlon, status?" The woman demanded.
"Damn thing's active, ma'am! We don't know what the hell's going on, but it's opening something! Radiation readings point to an incredibly powerful portal!" The man replied warily, "Forget the equipment, dammit! Stay way from the beam!"
They gasped, all of them seeing three more beams lancing up into the sky in a diamond pattern, before all coalesced into one above the middle point and descended down upon it. Halsey gasped, then ordered, "To any and all assets available, UNSC Naval included, requesting triangulation of the position of that unidentified energy beam planetside. Give me a reading and let me know where it hit."
"That is Alnus..." Rory remarked, mouth agape, "It is Alnus Hill..." and she scowled, "What are you doing, Hardy...?"
The very ground began to shake beneath them, unbalancing the doctor and her escorting pair of soldiers. The woman hanged onto the railing beside them, then ordered via communication, "Air Force, this is Halsey! Send in a WOMBAT surveillance drone over Alnus Hill, ASAP! Patch the feed to the command hall! Colonel, have Second and Fifth Companies on stand-by! Something is happening!"
Richard looked to her and said, "I'll prep the Third and call up the Warrior Bunnies and their First Battalion..." before booking it and readying his radio. The doctor looked over to Rory. The two women looked to one-another and departed, marching at quick pace toward the FOB's command deck as the Third and Fifth Companies of the Marine Corps division on the planet mobilized and prepared for a possible new issue.
Entering the command room as golden lights blared and flashed all over the walls and the staff went between consoles, exchanging reports, tablets and orders, Halsey met with the Colonel and even the Admiral's hologram, stating, "Miss Mercury identified the target of that beam as Alnus Hill." and demanding, "Estimated time of that drone's arrival?" while turning to the viewscreens as the Wombat pushed Mach-2, its airframe slightly shuddering.
"Five minutes at supersonic speed, currently..." The Colonel replied.
The Admiral stated, "Ship-wide systems picked that rad flare up. The hell are we looking at, doc?"
"According to researchers on-site? It's a Slipspace portal," Halsey noted, watching as the aircraft banked and took a left over the mountains. Whatever was going on, they needed to find it out ASAP. As the aircraft swung in, the UNSC's staff all watched with bated breath as the beam of energy began to dissipate. In its middle, resided an ancient structure of sorts, one almost seemingly new in design.
Arrayed around it, an army, thousands strong, camped out. They saw through the drone's one eye the hordes of soldiers, of monstrous auxiliaries and of dragons and wyverns sat, waiting for an order. Around the gate itself, a dozen persons, be they human or otherwise, clad in cloaks, moved. Their staffs shined with scarlet power as crystals of some kind formed around the Gate's main entrance. The seemingly Roman-esque, perhaps even Greek-like pantheon Gate flickered for a moment, ethereal energy surrounding it, before it stabilized.
A dozen men went through it at first, while the rest of the Army remained camped around the Holy Hill. Rory commented, "That Gate has not been opened for many years... I cannot believe my eyes, either. They've stabilized it to allow the soldiers to travel through... That is an invading army... The only times Sadera ever gathered such an armed force were the wars in which they subjugated the defiant kingdoms to the South and West."
"You think it's an army that wants to assault what's on the other side?" The Colonel raised a brow, concerned.
"Very likely so, yes," Rory replied, "Else they would not have arrayed almost six thousand Legionnaires and over a thousand other auxiliary troops like Orcs and Wyvern squadrons. They intend to take over what is behind that gate with the full might of half of the Empire's Legions, which means Emperor Molt himself has approved this himself. Those soldiers down there must be his best Legions."
Halsey hummed, ruminating on the idea. She ordered, "Maintain a continuous rotation of Wombats in the air around the place. Maintain safe operational distance. That Gate, the Gate of the Gods, opened through the use of the Forerunner structure we encountered in the Dragon-Born's territories. That means it has some link to Forerunner structures we're all familiar with. I want to know just what the Empire is doing with it."
"Understood!" The entire room chorused readily.
Halsey looked to the Admiral and said, "I'm requesting deployment of Brigade 351 of the Fifth ODST Division, Admiral. No SOEIVs. Ground insertion. Have them act as scouts so we can keep a constant eye on the place. It's in a valley, so they should have plenty of leeway in locating hiding spots. Send to CENTCOM, requesting redeployment of TIER ONE Assets, just in case. CODE BLUE."
"... Understood..." The Admiral's eyes grew wide. The Lieutenant and Colonel also looked to Halsey, surprised, before the Lieutenant grinned.
"'Bout time they join us down here, honestly, doc."
"It's just for a visit, Lieutenant... Just for a visit... And leverage..." Halsey remarked, then turned heel toward the door and said, "I want the datalink to the drones streamed to my personal computer. I will be keeping an eye on this while conducting my research. Let me know the moment Brigade 351 lands and tell them to stream everything they see back to us."
"Aye," The deck crews replied.
"Whaddaya want me and the Third to do right now, doc?" The Lieutenant asked.
"Get to Tyuule. Tell her the Gate of the Gods opened. I want you and her to start up that little battalion of volunteers," She replied, looking to the Lieutenant, then she gazed to Rory and said, "With me, miss Mercury. We need to talk about this Gate and what it does, provided you can tell me anything specific about its general purpose and usage across time that anyone else forgot to mention."
"Understood," Rory nodded, then joined Halsey on their walk back. The entire base suddenly grew abuzz with life, gunships and transport choppers lifting off from the landing pads and preparing patrols as the airfield that had just recently been built welcomed their Shortsword bomber squadrons planetside. Rebuilt birds meant to dump payloads on enemy targets. Still, what was going on right now? It was big. Bigger than anyone had expected.
Halsey continued to watch the ongoing situation from her office as night began to fall and the torches of the enemy force lit up the camp. On her fourth cup of coffee, the woman wrote reports every two hours to send to HighCom, while the base remained on yellow alert. She hummed, narrowed her lips, then gasped. Zooming in with the drone feed, she caught sight of a young Asian woman being dragged through the Gate by a squad of the enemy's scouts, alongside a few dozen others. She blinked, then called up, "Sergeant Zaeed, can you confirm what I'm seeing?"
"Affirm, ma'am. I'm seeing times twenty civilians being dragged through... Looks like they're being taken on a slave transport. Permission to engage?" The NCO of the ODST Scout Force inquired. She could hear his gloved grip tightening around the SRS-99's pistol grip. She hummed, thinking for a moment, then tapped a few lines as a report and leaned back into her chair.
"... Do not engage, but give me a tracker round on them. Make it quiet," Halsey ordered.
She watched the data stream blink on, then said, "Thank you, Sergeant... Rotation should be coming up. I'm sorry I can't let you engage them yet."
"... I understand, doc... Don't like it, but I do."
The ODST was bitter. Understandably so. Halsey, however, didn't want to risk them being attacked by any other soldiers of the Empire while they were there with so little support. Instead, she continued watching as the situation unfolded, with Rory coming every once in a while to check up on her, surprisingly enough. That scare she gave her must've made Rory realize they were definitely far better off as allies.
As dawn broke and Halsey woke up, she brought up her sightline system. Wombat-03 was in the sky by now, having replaced 01 and 02 during the evening flights. The only difference from yesterday to today was that the entire Imperial Army stood at the ready, now. Their weapons drawn, horses mounted and auxiliaries seemingly ready to charge through the gate.
"... Oh..." Halsey murmured, "This is not good, but..." and she turned on her communication device again, stating, "Maintain surveillance. Stand by and wait... I want to see where this goes, as much as I know you all dislike inaction, ladies and gentlemen. Believe me, I am aware. I dislike not being able to do anything, but this is a matter of observation. Whatever the Imperials invaded? It needs to be studied as the spoils of war arrive."
Halsey covered her mouth, watching as the first regiments of Imperial troops marched under the command of a squadron of their seeming elite. Auxiliaries, Wyvern squadrons and infantry marched inside. She knew the UNSC could easily wipe the place out with one fell strike from an air unit, but that Gate was what they came to investigate. She wasn't about to let it be destroyed on the basis of a hostile Army invading a world they knew nothing about.
She hummed, watching as the hours ticked by and night once again fell. No sight of the Imperial Army sent in to battle came to them. She watched as Rory entered the place, stating, "How long would an Imperial campaign with that major a force usually take?"
"Several days, if not weeks... I would prepare myself for a long watch and a continuous yellow readiness, doctor," Rory recommended, approaching the desk and looking over the images. She hummed, then said "A section of the troops have been left behind, presumably to keep the Gate secure from any possible attack... Ours or anyone else's. Some of the men are also Praetorians."
"You have a keen eye," Halsey murmured, pushing her glasses onto the bridge of her nose, "Elite palatine guard then?"
"Very much so," Rory nodded, "Supposedly well-trained."
"Understood... If it takes weeks, we may yet see our Spartan team deployed, then," Halsey replied, leaning back into her chair, "Meanwhile, I did not get to ask you of the Gate proper."
"Of course..." Rory nodded, "What do you wish to know?"
"What is it? The fact Forerunner archives mention it and that four devices, all of them linked, are part of its mechanism makes me think there's something to do with your gods..." Halsey inquired, looking at the device as the Wombat drone maintained its 'orbiting' flight over it.
"Whilst I admit, I knew not of the link between your 'Forerunners' and this place, the Gate remains part of much of the folklore of the peoples of this world. I am not certain how tightly-knit or how bound to it every person and every people on this world is, but I can tell you it is fairly important in the lore of all species and races currently inhabiting this plain of existence," Rory noted.
"I see..." Halsey murmured, "I need to get closer. Study it..."
"Perhaps you shall get your chance," Rory stated rather ominously, "I feel like something is different... And I'm acutely aware of the presence of another God's hand in this. I can feel her."
"Oh?" Halsey raised a brow.
"I believe Hardy, long-time rival of Emroy and... Attempted courter of yours truly..." Rory winced at that last part, "May have something to do with this..."
"I see," Halsey murmured, "Write me a report if possible... I'd like to know what this Hardy is."
"I will attempt to do so..." Rory nodded and joined Halsey in watching the unfolding imagery. There was tension within the FOB itself, its people remaining on yellow alert even as the hours, then days passed. Worry and fear was in the air, about what the enemy was doing to those they captured and about the Empire's own choices in the matter at hand. The UNSC could go to war, wipe them out now and establish peace on this continent with little regard for any actual situation, but Doctor Halsey remained in command of the overall efforts of the UNSC on the planet.
She intended to maintain a calm stance for now. Warrior Bunnies were still receiving training and equipment upgrades from the UNSC military personnel on the planet. The Lieutenant, meanwhile, continued to get more buddy-buddy with the queen, clearly showing her willingness to cooperate with the staff of the UNSC and fold their forces in with them.
The Warrior Bunnies themselves were set to become the UNSC's first planet-side allied state and they aspired to be part of the UNSC and UEG fully at some point. However, with the most recent developments and the Cold War between them all and the Empire, the UNSC could do little to help boost that. They did not have the political power they had during the Human-Covenant War. ONI, however, did.
Halsey had some powers to abuse. That was good, she thought... Something to think about for later...
At the border town, meanwhile, nearly two months later, Lieutenant Samuels and his team had just finished their escort of a trade caravan formed of Warrior Bunnies. The man watched as Tyuule and the Elder shook hands, with her girls handing them the fruits and stuff they managed to pick out of a recently-built orchard within the capital of the Warrior Bunnies.
She approached the Lieutenant, arranging her digital forest camo BDU and her vest, before pushing a lock of her white hair out of her eyes. She smiled to him and said, "It seems as though trading goes on unabated."
"Good to know. Ratiarian folks are open to chatter, too. Some have learned a few words of English," He replied and smiled back. The two looked over to see Rosie tending to one of the kids in the village, handing him a chocolate as his mother and father watched. He smiled and jumped for joy, wrapping his arms around the shotgunner's neck. The girl laughed, patting him on the back, then looked to the Lieutenant and Queen and offered them a thumbs up.
Tyuule looked around as her own kin, clad in UNSC BDUs, continued their trading and/or other works, then turned to Richard and said, "I've been meaning to enquire about this for a while, but some of your men call you 'Dick'..." And she saw the Lieutenant narrow his lips, trying not to laugh. She raised a brow, then continued, "Why? I know that's... Uhm... How shall I put it...?" before her cheeks turned a tinge redder and she averted her gaze.
"Yes, your Highness, it is another word for the male part, but it also is a shortening of Richard. Some of my troopers and I have known each-other for long enough that we can call each-other nicknames and the likes," He shrugged, "Never in front of higher-ups, but usually when we're off-duty or just doing things like this. Basic military escort and the likes."
He heard a whistle, then looked over to see Ivanov raise the radio microphone of their Warthog. The Lieutenant nodded, flicked his com system online and said, "Lieutenant Samuels, Third Platoon..." before his eyes grew wide. He looked to Tyuule and said, "Roger. We're on our way home. Third out," And he flicked the com off. He called out, "All Third Platoon elements, mount up! Situational development at Alnus Hill! Command wants us home ASAP!"
Tyuule paused, then called out to her girls, "You heard him, Warriors! Mount your vehicles!" before turning to him with a focused look in her eyes, "We are coming with you. If the Holy Hill has new developments, we'd like to see them ourselves," before she marched up to his Warthog. Rosie and the others quickly mounted up onto the 'Hogs and trucks, readying their kit while the Warrior Bunnies joined them.
As the vehicles rolled back to FOB, the sun slowly began to set over this part of the world. Set to orange alert, the UNSC base welcomed the returning platoons and their Warrior Bunnies quickly as air assets lifted off and multiple new UAVs were launched, this time with weapons mounted, just in case the situation grew dangerous. Combat Air Patrol was being run by Broadsword fighters off the Vladivostok.
In full kit, the Lieutenant dismounted with Tyuule and the two entered the command room, where Doctor Halsey and the Colonel regarded the new images coming in from Alnus. Halsey turned to greet the man and gave him and the Queen a nod, before looking back up at the screen. The Lieutenant paused for a moment... On the screen, armored vehicles rolled out of the Gate in the middle of night.
A dozen tanks came first. Single-turret, crewed vehicles rolled out into the line, forming up near the steep ridgeline and pointing their cannons at what seemed to be a gaggle-fuck of the enemy's contingent troops, left behind to guard the place. Two types of such tanks moved in, with one group apparently painted gunmetal green, while the others seemed to be desert-tan if the dim light told them the right thing. Behind them, MRAP vehicles and transports rolled out, followed by a dozen IFVs of two types yet again. From each IFV, squadrons and six-man teams dismounted.
Behind them, yet another wave of troops moved in. Their vehicles were painted white, with markings that seemingly surprised the entire UNSC staff. Their crews dismounted, faintly visible blue helmets shimmering in the darkness. Halsey murmured, "Those vehicles, those troops... That equipment..." as one of the crew zoomed in on the unknown infantry presence on Alnus. Modernized, modular rifles side-by-side with older guns.
"... They're humans," The Lieutenant murmured, staring wide-eyed.
"By the Gods..." Rory murmured, a hint of confusion behind a flurry of hidden questions, not aimed at the UNSC, but rather at her fellow Gods and Demigods.
"Doctor... What are they?" Tyuule asked, more confused than the Apostle.
"... They look to be Peacekeeper forces," She noted, causing the Lieutenant to look at her with surprise.
"Colonel, doc, admiral, we've intercepted their coms... Encryption is matching the oldest of UN signals, as well as of various other nations from early twenty-first century history," The com officer reported as she pulled up the radio frequencies utilized by the advancing force. On count, thermals from the Wombat drones showed around six hundred soldiers and two dozen vehicles set up, including a pair of SHORAD systems mounting twin cannons and radars and a bunch of Infantry Fighting Vehicles, as well as those multi-crew tanks.
"Patch them through, Sergeant," The Colonel ordered.
At first, static washed over the communication lines of the UNSC while the com officer and crew worked to clear the signal. Tense, the entire group within the FOB's CP listened as static filtered through, followed by a slowly-clearing voice. A male voice. Slowly, slowly, the static cleared and the voice of the officer became audible, "... Misfit One Actual to all active Misfit And Steel Elements. Enemy targets at immediate twelve. Massed enemy infantry according to thermals. Load HE. Sokol, Joker and Hitman elements, stand by for target coordination with JSDF's RCTs, including RCT3."
"Roger, Misfit. This is Sokol Actual to all troops, as per confirmation of UN order Thirty-six Nineteen, we are clear to engage if the enemy attempts an assault," A heavy Russian-accented male voice replied, "Joker and Hitman, we have your left flank," and the white-painted armored vehicles rolled up behind the infantry that was setting up near the rocky outcroppings and ditches they quickly dug.
"Thanks, Rusky. This is Joker Element to Steel and other SDF assets, we and Hitman got your mid clear. You cover our right with Misfit."
"Hitman Actual, roger."
"Steel and SDF here! Ryoukai! RCTs, requesting flares, please!"
"Japanese, Russians and Americans, from the sound of things," Halsey noted, "Self-Defense Force assets, US tank corps units and Russian representative UN Peacekeeper units... Can we attempt to open a communication with them?" She then inquired, somewhat surprising the entire, already-dumbfound staff of the UNSC base. The Colonel wanted to say something, but the group was stopped as 40mm flares were launched from the grenade launchers of the entire present force, filling the sky around Alnus in a burning light almost as bright as the sun... And revealing the gathered horde of Imperial troops.
The first monster to bound across the field was a lonely orc. It charged at them, despite its master's demands that it return. Said masters, a squadron of elite Legionnaires, rallied the entire army, surging forth in a tidal wave that could not have been a more dumb move. The first shot rang out and the Orc's head was blown apart, the fifty caliber machine guns mounted onto the tanks starting up their cannonade.
Following them, the infantry opened up, with the tanks' guns playing the opening crescendo of drums. High-Ex rounds detonated, cratering the area around Alnus Hill through which the enemy advanced almost instantly. The rumble of the main cannons of each of the tanks reached and reverberated through the microphones of the drone. Riflemen ripped into the enemy's lines as they surged forth, dropping dead the thousands of monsters and men that attacked the Hill.
Moments later, nothing remained of the so-called invasion force's rearguard, the US presence, called Misfit as it seemed, reporting over the radio, "This is Misfit Actual to all UN assets... Hostile armed force is KIA. That was eerily fucking easy, not gonna lie. Recommend RCTs and Sokol investigate what the fuck we killed and return ASAP, else we may be facing bigger problems."
"Interesting..." Halsey murmured, "So, can we?"
"We can attempt it, ma'am," The Radio operator replied warily as she worked to tap into the mixed task force's com system.
"Do it..." Halsey ordered. She intended to find out just what the hell they had witnessed now, presuming quite openly that the 'UN' force ahead would answer them. She hoped they would, because if what just happened was any proof, that UN Task Force was going to own Alnus Hill for the forseeable future. And if that was the case? She needed a way to investigate it.
The colonel and Halsey gave each-other a nod, followed by one from both the Lieutenant and Queen.
She was handed the microphone...
"... To all assets of the unidentified task force currently on Alnus, this is the UNSC. Do you copy, over?"